Multisensory aesthetic perception: A quantitative-qualitative study on visuo-tactile interactions with material textures
Wed—HZ_11—Talks7—7202
Presented by: Marella Campagna
Material textures in everyday interactions evoke a rich sensory interplay, primarily between vision and touch. Despite growing research exploring material perception and the interaction between visual, haptic systems, a comprehensive understanding of the bottom-up and top-down processes in visuo-tactile aesthetics remains elusive. This study aims to unravel these sensory interactions through a multi-methodological lens, examining the cognitive and affective dimensions of visuo-tactile texture perception.
Thirty right-handed participants with normal or corrected-to-normal vision engaged in a Touch-Perception-Task, exploring various textures. Think-aloud protocol captured real-time reflections on their visuo-tactile experiences, while self-reports detailed their sensory impressions, affective responses, personality traits, tactile inclinations. Eye-tracking technology recorded eye fixations, pupil dilation, paired with video analysis of hand movements to capture the nuances of material engagement. Our findings revealed distinct sensory, emotional profiles for different textures: sandpapers (K40, K1200) and silks elicited contrasting reactions, with K40 surprisingly perceived as pleasant due to its larger, smoother particles, subtle vibrations, while the finer K1200 was found irritating and visually disengaging. Faux fur emerged as the favourite, evoking feelings of comfort, safety. Analysis of hand movements showed non-traditional tactile exploration, suggesting that cognitive, emotional factors shape our aesthetic interaction with materials.
This integrative approach, sheds light on the cognitive-affective interplay of visuo-tactile experiences. Our findings indicate that visual complexity, the alignment/misalignment between visual anticipation, tactile reality, and material qualities like texture and vibration significantly shape aesthetic judgments. This research enriches our understanding of sensory integration, offering insights into the layered complexities of material perception beyond isolated sensory assessments.
Thirty right-handed participants with normal or corrected-to-normal vision engaged in a Touch-Perception-Task, exploring various textures. Think-aloud protocol captured real-time reflections on their visuo-tactile experiences, while self-reports detailed their sensory impressions, affective responses, personality traits, tactile inclinations. Eye-tracking technology recorded eye fixations, pupil dilation, paired with video analysis of hand movements to capture the nuances of material engagement. Our findings revealed distinct sensory, emotional profiles for different textures: sandpapers (K40, K1200) and silks elicited contrasting reactions, with K40 surprisingly perceived as pleasant due to its larger, smoother particles, subtle vibrations, while the finer K1200 was found irritating and visually disengaging. Faux fur emerged as the favourite, evoking feelings of comfort, safety. Analysis of hand movements showed non-traditional tactile exploration, suggesting that cognitive, emotional factors shape our aesthetic interaction with materials.
This integrative approach, sheds light on the cognitive-affective interplay of visuo-tactile experiences. Our findings indicate that visual complexity, the alignment/misalignment between visual anticipation, tactile reality, and material qualities like texture and vibration significantly shape aesthetic judgments. This research enriches our understanding of sensory integration, offering insights into the layered complexities of material perception beyond isolated sensory assessments.
Keywords: Perception, Aesthetics, Multisensory perception, Haptic aesthetics, Visuo-tactile perception, Textures perception, Visuo-tactile exploration.