Argira — Fractal Noise Perceptual Test: Optimal Aesthetic Range Hypothesis (β Series, N=5 sounds)

This deposit contains the experimental materials for testing the hypothesis that aesthetic perception follows an inverted-U curve with respect to the fractal exponent β of auditory stimuli. Hypothesis: Aesthetic valuation will be maximal near β ≈ 1 (pink noise / 1/f), with β=0 (white noise) and β=2 (Brownian noise) receiving lower ratings. The curve will be non-linear. This constitutes a falsifiable prediction. Theoretical connection to Argira: If β ≈ 1 is perceived as most pleasant in audio, and the Argira pipeline generates spectral fractal dimensions (Ds) in a similar range for paintings considered aesthetically valued (hue_std vs Ds r=0.8869, R²=0.8417, N=45 paintings — see v3.5), this would constitute evidence of a common multisensory principle: mathematical structures perceived as beautiful regardless of sensory channel. Generated sounds (10s, 22050Hz, normalized RMS):fractal_beta_0.wav — β=0 (white noise, maximum chaos)fractal_beta_0_5.wav — β=0.5fractal_beta_1_0.wav — β=1.0 (pink noise / 1/f)fractal_beta_1_5.wav — β=1.5fractal_beta_2_0.wav — β=2.0 (Brownian noise, maximum correlation) Generation method: White noise → FFT → magnitude scaling by 1/f^(β/2) → IFFT → RMS normalization. Perceptual test (included HTML tool): Likert scale 1-7 per sound on 4 dimensions: pleasant, natural, balanced, complex. Downloads TXT per participant. Minimum recommended N=20. Falsifiable prediction:If correct: mean aesthetic rating peaks near β≈1, β=0 and β=2 score lower, curve is non-linear. If incorrect: hypothesis of transversal optimal range is weakened. Related publications:Argira v3.5 (N=45): 10.5281/zenodo.18865019Theoretical Framework: 10.5281/zenodo.18851743Phase 3 pilot: 10.5281/zenodo.18852110