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Studies in subjective probability V: Chance vs. structure in visual patterns
Author(s) -
TEIGEN KARL HALVOR
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9450.1984.tb01024.x
Subject(s) - equivalence (formal languages) , similarity (geometry) , psychology , mathematics , artificial intelligence , computer science , discrete mathematics , image (mathematics)
Student subjects were instructed to produce maximally non‐random, aesthetically attractive and random appearing dot patterns of two different levels of complexity (3 and 5 dots). When the patterns were grouped according to similarity, random patterns were found to belong to greater equivalence groups than non‐random patterns. They were also estimated to be far more probable to arise from a chance process, regardless of number of elements. The aesthetically attractive patterns were placed between random and non‐random patterns in terms of probability estimates. With increasing pattern complexity, patterns produced according to different instructions became increasingly distinguishable. It is argued that there may be an optimal complexity level for discovering “structure” or unique configurations in chance patterns (cf. the constellations of stars).