Hyla Levy
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Complexity-Simplicity: Random versus Non-Random Arrangement of Shapes
Subjects responded either to a random arrangement of shapes or…a non-random arrangement, with each row representing an increase in complexity. Since stimulus variables may interact with situational and personality variables in determining preference, does it matter whether or not the shapes are presented randomly?
Four samples of undergraduates were individually presented with a photograph of polygons. Some subjects received a non-random arrangement of the shapes; complexity increased on three successive rows. Other subjects were also presented a photograph of the polygons, but the polygons were arranged randomly. Complexity is defined by the number of points on the three most-preferred shapes minus the number of points on the three least-preferred polygons.
There seem to have been no great differences in complexity preference based on whether the shapes were presented randomly or in a non-random array. These negative findings are encouraging, since they suggest that subjects respond personally and are not unduly influenced by the order of the stimuli. Caution should be exercised in generalizing these findings.
Editorial note: From a precis of an article by Eisenman and Jones published in 1968 in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills.
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