Affective Priming Using Facial Expressions Modulates Liking for Abstract Art |
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| Authors: | Albert Flexas Jaume Rosselló Julia F Christensen Marcos Nadal Antonio Olivera La Rosa Enric Munar |
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| Institution: | 1. Human Evolution and Cognition Group, Associated group to IFISC (University of the Balearic Islands-CSIC), Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.; 2. Department of Psychology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.; 3. Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.; CSIC-Univ Miguel Hernandez, Spain, |
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| Abstract: | We examined the influence of affective priming on the appreciation of abstract artworks using an evaluative priming task. Facial primes (showing happiness, disgust or no emotion) were presented under brief (Stimulus Onset Asynchrony, SOA = 20ms) and extended (SOA = 300ms) conditions. Differences in aesthetic liking for abstract paintings depending on the emotion expressed in the preceding primes provided a measure of the priming effect. The results showed that, for the extended SOA, artworks were liked more when preceded by happiness primes and less when preceded by disgust primes. Facial expressions of happiness, though not of disgust, exerted similar effects in the brief SOA condition. Subjective measures and a forced-choice task revealed no evidence of prime awareness in the suboptimal condition. Our results are congruent with findings showing that the affective transfer elicited by priming biases evaluative judgments, extending previous research to the domain of aesthetic appreciation. |
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