Abstract
People constantly make snap judgments about objects encountered in the environment. Such rapid judgments must be based on the physical properties of the targets, but the nature of these properties is yet unknown. We hypothesized that sharp transitions in contour might convey a sense of threat, and therefore trigger a negative bias. Our results were consistent with this hypothesis. The type of contour a visual object possesses - whether the contour is sharp angled or curved - has a critical influence on people's attitude toward that object.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 645-648 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Psychological Science |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2006 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank D. Carney, M. Fenske, N. Gronau, K. Kveraga, M. Mason, and D. Proffitt for helpful comments on the manuscript and I. Ostrovskaya for help with the stimuli. This work was supported by McDonnell Foundation Grant No. 21002039, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Grant NS44319-01, and the MIND Institute.
Funding
We thank D. Carney, M. Fenske, N. Gronau, K. Kveraga, M. Mason, and D. Proffitt for helpful comments on the manuscript and I. Ostrovskaya for help with the stimuli. This work was supported by McDonnell Foundation Grant No. 21002039, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Grant NS44319-01, and the MIND Institute.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke | NS44319-01, R01NS044319 |
| James S. McDonnell Foundation | 21002039 |
| MIND Institute, University of California, Davis |