Data_Sheet_1_The dynamics of experiencing Gestalt and Aha in cubist art: pupil responses and art evaluations show a complex interplay of task, stimuli content, and time course.pdf

IntroductionGestalt perception refers to the cognitive ability to perceive various elements as a unified whole. In our study, we delve deeper into the phenomenon of Gestalt recognition in visual cubist art, a transformative process culminating in what is often described as an Aha moment. This Aha moment signifies a sudden understanding of what is seen, merging seemingly disparate elements into a coherent meaningful picture. The onset of this Aha moment can vary, either appearing almost instantaneously, which is in line with theories of hedonic fluency, or manifesting after a period of time, supporting the concept of delayed but more in-depth meaningful insight.MethodsWe employed pupillometry to measure cognitive and affective shifts during art interaction, analyzing both maximum pupil dilation and average dilation across the trial. The study consisted of two parts: in the first, 84 participants identified faces in cubist paintings under various conditions, with Aha moments and pupil dilation measured. In part 2, the same 84 participants assessed the artworks through ratings in a no-task free-viewing condition.ResultsResults of part 1 indicate a distinctive pattern of pupil dilation, with maximum dilation occurring at both trial onset and end. Longer response times were observed for high-fluent, face-present stimuli, aligning with a delayed but accurate Aha-moment through recognition. Additionally, the time of maximum pupil dilation, rather than average dilation, exhibited significant associations, being later for high-fluent, face-present stimuli and correct detections. In part 2, average, not the time of maximum pupil dilation emerged as the significant factor. Face-stimuli and highly accessible art evoked stronger dilations, also reflecting high clearness and negative valence ratings.DiscussionThe study underscores a complex relationship between the timing of recognition and the Aha moment, suggesting nuanced differences in emotional and cognitive responses during art viewing. Pupil dilation measures offer insight into these processes especially for moments of recognition, though their application in evaluating emotional responses through artwork ratings warrants further exploration.

引言格式塔感知是指将不同元素感知为一个统一整体的认知能力。在我们的研究中，我们进一步探讨了视觉立体主义艺术中的格式塔识别现象，这一转化过程最终达到人们常称之为顿悟的时刻。这一顿悟时刻象征着对所见事物突然的理解，将看似互不相关的元素融合成一个连贯且富有意义的图像。顿悟时刻的出现可能存在差异，要么几乎是瞬时发生的，这与愉悦流畅性的理论相吻合，要么在一段时间后显现，支持了延迟但更为深入的洞察力的概念。
方法我们采用了瞳孔测量法来测量艺术互动过程中的认知和情感变化，分析了试验中的最大瞳孔扩张和平均扩张。该研究分为两个部分：在第一部分中，84名参与者在各种条件下识别立体主义画作中的面孔，并测量了顿悟时刻和瞳孔扩张。在第二部分中，相同的84名参与者在无任务自由观赏条件下对艺术品进行评分。
结果第一部分的结果表明瞳孔扩张呈现出独特的模式，最大扩张发生在试验开始和结束时。对于流畅度高、面孔存在的刺激，观察到了更长的反应时间，这与通过识别实现的延迟但准确的顿悟时刻相一致。此外，最大瞳孔扩张的时间，而非平均扩张时间，显示出显著的关联，对于流畅度高、面孔存在的刺激和正确检测，其出现时间较晚。在第二部分中，平均瞳孔扩张时间而非最大瞳孔扩张时间成为了显著因素。面孔刺激和易于理解的艺术作品引起了更强的扩张，这也反映了高度的清晰度和负向评价。
讨论本研究强调了识别时机与顿悟时刻之间的复杂关系，提出了在艺术观赏过程中情感和认知反应的微妙差异。瞳孔扩张的测量为这些过程提供了洞察，尤其是在识别的时刻，然而，通过艺术品评分评估情感反应的应用需要进一步探索。