Extension to Indian Subjects of a Study of Exploratory and Verbal Responses to Visual Patterns

Abstract

Procedures previously carried out with Ugandan and Canadian subjects were used with Indian villagers and Indian students. The stimulus material consisted of line drawings, sampling a number of complexity and incongruity variables. The procedures involved (a) recording of looking time, (b) paired-comparison preference, and (c) ratings on seven scales. Although there were differences among groups of subjects, there were also similarities, which in some cases were quite striking. The implication is that recurrent findings regarding exploratory behavior and other measures of interest to experimental aesthetics have some cross-cultural validity.