"The Dynamic Mind in the Cave: Looming of Paleolithic Paintings and Petroglyphs"
Abstract
Three experiments examined whether reported looming of cave paintings and petroglyphs in perception was due to the spatial bias of representational momentum. Participants viewed a target photograph of a cave painting or petroglyph, and then a probe photograph of the same cave painting or petroglyph was presented. The viewpoint in the probe was closer, the same as, or farther than the viewpoint in the target. Participants judged if the probe viewpoint was (a) the same as or different from the target viewpoint or (b) closer, the same distance as, or farther than the target viewpoint. In all experiments, responses were not consistent with representational momentum, but were consistent with a different spatial bias of boundary extension. It is suggested perception of looming arises with continued inspection and reflects a mismatch between previously perceived (displaced) and currently perceived information. Implications for broader theories of aesthetics, and speculation regarding cognitive capacities of paleolithic humans, are given.