INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 10 Program Schedule 02/17/2024 09:00 am - 10:15 am Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 10: Neurodevelopmental \| Congenital Conditions Final Abstract #17 Impacts of Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum on Visual Aesthetic Judgements Nathan LeFebre, Fuller Grad School of Psychology, Pasadena, United States Kutter Callaway, Fuller Grad School of Psychology, Pasadena, United States Lynn Paul, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States Warren Brown, Fuller Grad School of Psychology, Pasadena, United States Category: Behavioral Neurology/Cerebral Lateralization/Callosal Studies Keyword 1: corpus callosum Keyword 2: emotional processes Keyword 3: congenital disorders Objective: Previous research demonstrated that Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (ACC) results in a pattern of cognitive and psychosocial deficiencies even when FSIQ is in the normal range (FSIQ > 80; Brown & Paul, 2019). A prior study of aesthetic judgments showed that individuals with ACC rated abstractness, emotion, complexity, and their subjective interest in visual artwork differently than neurotypical individuals (LeFebre et al., 2023). The present study examined ratings of the 24 paintings of the Assessment of Art Attributes’ (AAA; Chatterjee et al., 2010) based on adherence of pictures to the “golden spiral”– a compositional technique for qualitatively classifying aesthetic balance (Al-Kireh et al., 2023). It was predicted that persons with ACC would rate paintings that strictly adhered to the spiral more highly on scales of interest, emotion, abstractness, and complexity due to their reduced capacity for elaborative cognition (Renteria-Vasquez et al, 2021) and strict adherence to social norms (Brown et al., 2020), whereas this preference would not be observed among neurotypical controls. Participants and Methods: Fifteen persons with ACC and FSIQ > 80 and 49 neurotypical individuals completed the AAA. Two raters classified the 24 paintings from the AAA by their adherence to the golden spiral, yielding 12 which adhered and 12 which did not. Each painting was rated by participants on a 1-5 Likert on each of the 4 scales. Mean ratings of interest, emotion, abstractness, and complexity for the 24 paintings were then compared using mixed-method 2 (group) x 2 (composition type) ANOVAs. Results: ACC and Control groups did not differ significantly by age, gender, education, or artistic experience. On the AAA emotion scale, a significant GroupComposition interaction was observed [F (1, 22) = 4.37, p < .05, h_p² = 0.17]. Persons with ACC rated emotion more highly than controls [M_diff* = 0.42] when paintings adhered to the golden spiral, whereas neurotypical controls rated emotion more highly when paintings did not adhere to the spiral [M_diff = -0.05]. Significant main effects of composition type were observed on both the interest [F (1, 22) = 5.22, p < .05, h_p² = 0.19] and abstractness scales [F (1, 22) = 18.62, p < .001, h_p² = 0.46], such that participants rated paintings as more interesting [M_diff = 0.56] and more abstract [M_diff = 1.65] when they adhered to the spiral. Lastly, a significant main effect for group was observed on the abstractness scale [F (1, 22) = 8.46, p < .01, h_p² = 0.28] such that persons with ACC rated paintings as less abstract than controls [M_diff = -0.17]. No other significant interactions or main effects were observed. Conclusions: Persons with ACC rated emotion in paintings more highly when they adhered to conventional compositional techniques (the “golden spiral”). This may be tied to differences in patterns of visual scanning for emotions. Persons with ACC focus less on the eyes when judging emotions in faces (Bridgman et al., 2014). Additionally, low rating on abstractness is consistent with prior literature demonstrating less imaginative elaboration among persons with ACC (Renteria-Vazquez et al., 2021).

Poster

02/17/2024
09:00 am - 10:15 am
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 10: Neurodevelopmental | Congenital Conditions

Final Abstract #17

Impacts of Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum on Visual Aesthetic Judgements

Nathan LeFebre, Fuller Grad School of Psychology, Pasadena, United States
Kutter Callaway, Fuller Grad School of Psychology, Pasadena, United States
Lynn Paul, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
Warren Brown, Fuller Grad School of Psychology, Pasadena, United States

Category: Behavioral Neurology/Cerebral Lateralization/Callosal Studies

Keyword 1: corpus callosum
Keyword 2: emotional processes
Keyword 3: congenital disorders

Objective:

Previous research demonstrated that Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (ACC) results in a pattern of cognitive and psychosocial deficiencies even when FSIQ is in the normal range (FSIQ > 80; Brown & Paul, 2019). A prior study of aesthetic judgments showed that individuals with ACC rated abstractness, emotion, complexity, and their subjective interest in visual artwork differently than neurotypical individuals (LeFebre et al., 2023). The present study examined ratings of the 24 paintings of the Assessment of Art Attributes’ (AAA; Chatterjee et al., 2010) based on adherence of pictures to the “golden spiral”– a compositional technique for qualitatively classifying aesthetic balance (Al-Kireh et al., 2023). It was predicted that persons with ACC would rate paintings that strictly adhered to the spiral more highly on scales of interest, emotion, abstractness, and complexity due to their reduced capacity for elaborative cognition (Renteria-Vasquez et al, 2021) and strict adherence to social norms (Brown et al., 2020), whereas this preference would not be observed among neurotypical controls.

Participants and Methods:

Fifteen persons with ACC and FSIQ > 80 and 49 neurotypical individuals completed the AAA. Two raters classified the 24 paintings from the AAA by their adherence to the golden spiral, yielding 12 which adhered and 12 which did not. Each painting was rated by participants on a 1-5 Likert on each of the 4 scales. Mean ratings of interest, emotion, abstractness, and complexity for the 24 paintings were then compared using mixed-method 2 (group) x 2 (composition type) ANOVAs.

Results:

ACC and Control groups did not differ significantly by age, gender, education, or artistic experience. On the AAA emotion scale, a significant Group*Composition interaction was observed [F (1, 22) = 4.37, p < .05, h_p² = 0.17]. Persons with ACC rated emotion more highly than controls [M_diff = 0.42] when paintings adhered to the golden spiral, whereas neurotypical controls rated emotion more highly when paintings did not adhere to the spiral [M_diff = -0.05]. Significant main effects of composition type were observed on both the interest [F (1, 22) = 5.22, p < .05, h_p² = 0.19] and abstractness scales [F (1, 22) = 18.62, p < .001, h_p² = 0.46], such that participants rated paintings as more interesting [M_diff = 0.56] and more abstract [M_diff = 1.65] when they adhered to the spiral. Lastly, a significant main effect for group was observed on the abstractness scale [F (1, 22) = 8.46, p < .01, h_p² = 0.28] such that persons with ACC rated paintings as less abstract than controls [M_diff = -0.17]. No other significant interactions or main effects were observed.

Conclusions:

Persons with ACC rated emotion in paintings more highly when they adhered to conventional compositional techniques (the “golden spiral”). This may be tied to differences in patterns of visual scanning for emotions. Persons with ACC focus less on the eyes when judging emotions in faces (Bridgman et al., 2014). Additionally, low rating on abstractness is consistent with prior literature demonstrating less imaginative elaboration among persons with ACC (Renteria-Vazquez et al., 2021).