Natural scene statistics mediate the perception of image complexity

TL;DR

This paper investigates how natural scene statistics influence human perception of image complexity, revealing that our perception is partly shaped by the frequency of patterns in natural environments.

Contribution

It demonstrates that natural scene statistics mediate the perception of image complexity, linking perceptual judgments to natural pattern frequencies and extending prior findings.

Findings

Perception of complexity is partly mediated by natural scene statistics.

Natural pattern frequencies influence subjective complexity assessments.

The study reanalyzes previous data and provides new experimental evidence.

Abstract

Humans are sensitive to complexity and regularity in patterns. The subjective perception of pattern complexity is correlated to algorithmic (Kolmogorov-Chaitin) complexity as defined in computer science, but also to the frequency of naturally occurring patterns. However, the possible mediational role of natural frequencies in the perception of algorithmic complexity remains unclear. Here we reanalyze Hsu et al. (2010) through a mediational analysis, and complement their results in a new experiment. We conclude that human perception of complexity seems partly shaped by natural scenes statistics, thereby establishing a link between the perception of complexity and the effect of natural scene statistics.