Aesthetic judgement : investigating the role of implicit memory
Authors
Lawlor, Joseph
Issue Date
2006
Degree
BA in Psychology
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
Participants (N = 88) were divided into control and experimental groups (41 and 47 respectively). The experimental group were primed by placing copies of works by Mondrian in their workspace for a period of two weeks. Both groups were tested for recognition of Mondrians when compared to drawings by the author. Each participant viewed a slideshow of fifteen pairs each containing an image of a Mondrian and a one that was not. Participants were instructed to indicate on a score sheet which side, left or right, was most likely to be by Mondrian. The results of this study were inconclusive with no significant difference between group mean scores (8.21, experimental group and 8.41 control group) and t-tests for significance of prior bias regarding abstract art and educational standard both yielding p > 0.05. The results point toward innate ability rather than proximity and exposure as predictors of aesthetic judgement.