A quantitative analysis of symmetry, fluency, and pattern preference

Abstract

People prefer symmetric over asymmetric patterns (Reber, Schwarz, & Winkielman, 2004). According to the fluency attribution perspective, this preference reflects differences in processing speed where increased processing efficiency leads to increased pattern preference. To test the account, in Experiment 1, participants’ speed of response to a pattern predicted the relationship between pattern symmetry and pattern preference. Experiment 2 expanded this account and found that a second measure of processing efficiency, recognition accuracy for patterns, predicted the relationship between pattern symmetry and pattern preference. Experiment 3 tested the attribution account of the fluency attribution hypothesis. Participants made a judgment of pattern mood rather than pattern preference. Despite a change of judgment task to an unintuitive judgment of pattern mood, participants attributed increased processing efficiency for patterns to increased pattern happiness. The three experiments provide an integration of the information processing and fluency attribution perspectives to account for symmetry preference judgments.