VPDVP 2026 · Assessing preferences for order and complexity across image sets and across time

Eline Van Geert
Visual Properties Driving Visual Preference · June 26, 2026 · Padova, Italy

How stable are preferences for order and complexity across image sets and across time? In this study, we compare preferences for order and complexity at the individual and at the population level across two timepoints (approx. two months apart) and five different image sets (natural scenes, paintings, natural textures, photographs of neatly organized compositions, and abstract patterns). Pairs of images were selected to differ in either perceived order or perceived complexity while controlling for the other perceived dimension. Although all pairs were selected from the same image sets, different pairs were selected for presentation at both timepoints (505 pairs and 552 pairs resp.). Data were collected online from resp. 249 and 361 student participants, with an overlap of 181 participants between both timepoints. In the pairs differing in perceived order, participants on average preferred the images with greater order. In the pairs differing in perceived complexity, participants on average preferred the images with greater complexity, except in the texture set. At the individual level, preferences for order and complexity within each image set were positively correlated: participants who more often preferred the more ordered image in the pairs testing for order, also more often preferred the more complex image in the complexity pairs (r = .14 to .65). Correlations between individuals’ preferences for order and complexity across image sets were also generally positive (for complexity: r = .04 to .39, for order: r = -.05 to .41). Furthermore, test-retest reliability of individual preferences for order and complexity across two months’ time was high for each image set (for complexity: r = .40 to .69, for order: r = .32 to .69), and even higher when combined across image sets (for complexity: r = .73, for order: r = .65). In further analyses, we explore how different image and person characteristics, like objective image properties and individual differences in perceptual sensitivity, personality, and art expertise, influence preferences for order and complexity across image sets and individuals.