Natural scene statistics mediate the perception of image complexity

Humans are sensitive to complexity and regularity in patterns [YKM13, FK97]. The subjective perception of pattern complexity is correlated to algorithmic (Kolmogorov-Chaitin) complexity as defined in computer science [LV08], but also to the frequency of naturally occurring patterns [HGS10]. However, the possible mediational role of natural frequencies in the perception of algorithmic complexity remains unclear. Here we reanalyze [HGS10] through a mediational analysis, and complement their results in a new experiment. We conclude that human perception of complexity seems partly shaped by natural scenes statistics, thereby establishing a link between the perception of complexity and the effect of natural scene statistics.