When symmetric and curved visual contour meet intentional instructions: Hedonic value and preference

Symmetry and contour take part in shaping visual preference. However, less is known about their combined contribution to We examined the hedonic tone preference triggered by interaction of symmetry contour. Symmetric/curved, symmetric/sharp-angled, asymmetric/curved, asymmetric/sharp-angled stimuli were presented an implicit explicit task. The task consisted affective stimulus–response compatibility where participants matched with positive negative valence response cues. recorded liking ratings from same stimuli. used instructed mindset induce focus on or different parts experimental session. found curvature tone. Explicit results showed for curvature. In both tasks, a cumulative interaction, larger overall effect. While symmetric asymmetric contributed symmetry, effect was mainly caused inclination towards curved contours rather than rejection sharp-angled contours. did not find any correlation between measures, suggesting that they may involve cognitive processing.