Visual Exploration Mediates the Influence of Personal Traits on Responses to Artworks in an Art Gallery Setting

The present study investigated the role of visual exploration of artworks in relation to personal traits and aesthetic responses during a visit to the TATE Liverpool gallery. Specifically, the study tested whether visual exploration mediated the influence of individual differences in personality and cognitive style on aesthetic responses. Fifty-six visitors to the gallery viewed seven artworks while their eye movements were recorded. Participants rated their aesthetic response to the artworks and wrote their thoughts and impressions about each artwork. Written reports were analyzed in terms of word count and frequency of use of aesthetic descriptors. Participants completed individual difference measures, including Openness to Experience [OTE] and Need for Cognitive Closure [NFC] before viewing artworks. The results showed that (a) the duration of looking at artworks (dwell time) mediated the relationship between OTE, NFC, and word count as well as the frequency of use of aesthetic descriptors, and (b) the spatial distribution of fixations mediated the relationship between both OTE and NFC and the number of words used in response to viewing artworks. The results indicate that visual exploration plays a functional role in the experience of artworks in a real gallery setting, and that visual exploration is a mechanism through which OTE and NFC influence aesthetic responses.