The qualitative side of complexity: Testing effects of ambiguity on complexity judgments

Visual complexity is widely considered to be an important variable underlying aesthetic judgments. In previous empirical studies, complexity has mostly been manipulated along quantitative parameters, such as the number or variability of elements. However, complexity can be defined on various processing levels. Here, we went beyond simple structural measures and studied qualitative aspects of complexity on the level of meaning by using ambiguous artworks and altered, less ambiguous artworks. Quantitative aspects of complexity were tested by employing 3 different statistical measures of image complexity (jpeg compression, gif compression, and a perimeter-detection measure), and although there was no significant difference between the 2 ambiguity conditions, ratings of perceived complexity differed. Ambiguous pictures were rated as significantly more complex than the less ambiguous pictures. These findings are a step toward understanding the as yet underrepresented qualitative side of complexity, and the role that ambiguity and meaning may play while the impression of complexity is formed.