Project 1: Aesthetics Matters
Can visual aesthetic appeal influence task performance? This is an intriguing question with potentially far-reaching practical and theoretical implications. In our first set of papers on this topic, we showed that the aesthetic appeal of a visual stimulus can influence timed performance, especially when the task is difficult and even when stimulus appeal is a task-irrelevant characteristic.
Read our articles published in The Conversation here:
“The science of beauty: how aesthetics can boost your mood and cognition”
“Is there such a thing as an objectively beautiful building? Here’s the science“
Relevant papers
Reppa, I., & McDougall, S. (2022). Aesthetic appeal influences visual search performance. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 84(8), 2483-2506.
Reppa, I., McDougall, S., Sonderegger, A., & Schmidt, W. C. (2021). Mood moderates the effect of aesthetic appeal on performance. Cognition and Emotion, 35(1), 15-29.
Reppa, I., & McDougall, S. (2015). When the going gets tough the beautiful get going: aesthetic appeal facilitates task performance. Psychonomic bulletin & review, 22, 1243-1254.
Project 2: Developing an Accessible, Diverse, and Inclusive Digital Visual Language.
Icons, symbols, and signs represent a visual language that facilitates communication because it conveys large amounts of information in single units intended to be understood by everyone irrespective of culture or spoken language. The development of a visual language of icons and symbols that is accessible and inclusive is of paramount importance now that the number of digital interfaces that use such language continues expanding at a global level.
Relevant papers
McDougall, S., Reppa, I., & Taylor, J. (2023). Nudge and bias in subjective ratings? The role of icon sets in determining ratings of icon characteristics. Behavior Research Methods, 55(7), 3513-3530.
Collaud, R., Reppa, I., Défayes, L., McDougall, S., Henchoz, N., & Sonderegger, A. (2022). Design standards for icons: The independent role of aesthetics, visual complexity and concreteness in icon design and icon understanding. Displays, 74, 102290.
McDougall, S., Reppa, I., Kulik, J., & Taylor, A. (2016). What makes icons appealing? The role of processing fluency in predicting icon appeal in different task contexts. Applied ergonomics, 55, 156-172.
McDougall, S., & Reppa, I. (2013). Ease of icon processing can predict icon appeal. In Human-Computer Interaction. Human-Centred Design Approaches, Methods, Tools, and Environments: 15th International Conference, HCI International 2013, Las Vegas, NV, USA, July 21-26, 2013, Proceedings, Part I 15 (pp. 575-584). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Team members/collaborators
Dr. Irene Reppa
Prof. Siné McDougall
Dr. Cris Izura
Dr. Jay Morgan
Prof. Andreas Sonderegger
Maria Fernandez-Parra
Zoe Alderson
Project 3: Time Perception
Time perception is essential to everyday functioning. Disparate information obtained across many fields has illuminated environmental, personality, and neurological factors controlling timing accuracy. The project aims to discover how environmental influences on time perception interact with individual differences in personality, focusing on the underlying role of dopamine. Over-activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine can influence timing ability (Body et al, 2009; Cheung et al., 2007). Dopamine is associated with schizotypal personality problems, a personality factor also suggested to impact timing. However, interactions between environmental and intra-personal factors on timing are not well understood, and their relationships to genes controlling dopamine is unknown. Establishing these relationships will have major implications for typical and atypical functioning.
Team members
Dr. Irene Reppa
Prof. Phil Reed
Dr. Matthew Hopkins
Mia Ashman