Structural deviations drive an uncanny valley of physical places

Diel, Alexander and Lewis, Michael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5735-5318 2022. Structural deviations drive an uncanny valley of physical places. Journal of Environmental Psychology 82 , 101844. 10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101844

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Abstract

Certain built environments can decrease aesthetic appeal. For humans and objects, deviation from typical appearances leads to nonlinear appraisal characterized as the uncanny valley. The first time, it was explored whether an uncanny valley can be found for built environments. In Experiment 1, a cubic N-shaped function of uncanniness plotted against realism of built environments was found, indicating an uncanny valley. Quantitative and qualitative data indicate an association between uncanniness and structural anomalies. Experiment 2 explored distortions leading to uncanniness of indoor places. In Experiment 3, human presence decreased uncanniness of distorted indoor public places but increased uncanniness of private rooms. Taken together, the evidence indicates that deviations from familiar configural patterns drive uncanniness of built physical places. Thus, strong deviations from a built environment's predictable pattern decreases its aesthetic appeal.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0272-4944
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	16 August 2022
Date of Acceptance:	4 July 2022
Last Modified:	02 May 2023 17:26
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/151790

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