JRP Team
In the Eye of the Beholder? How Perception Shapes Real-Life Aesthetic Decisions
Junior Researcher Programme (JRP) · 2026-2027
Why did you buy that shirt, mug, or bookmark? Many day-to-day choices involve an aesthetic dimension. However, investigating these aesthetic decisions is difficult, given the many perceptual, cognitive, and social factors involved. This project investigates to what extent daily-life aesthetic decisions can be understood based on our perceptual experience of various visual feature dimensions (e.g., variety in color, shape, orientation). Hence, we will estimate to what extent real-life aesthetic decisions are ‘in the eye of the beholder’. By creating parametrically-controlled patterns and designs (using the Order & Complexity Toolbox for Aesthetics; OCTA) and applying them to diverse daily-life products, we will replicate findings in the field of empirical aesthetics in more real-life contexts, and answer new questions regarding differences in appreciation across cultures, individuals, and products.
More info on the Junior Researcher Programme: https://jrp.pscholars.org/