А Database of 126 Images of Everyday Objects Standardized for Visual Attractiveness (BOSS Extension)

Experimental studies in psychology and cognitive neuroscience often employ images of everyday objects as experimental stimuli. To ensure consistency and reliability across such studies, stimulus sets need to be subjected to rigorous standardization procedures leading to the creation of extensive databases that contain a wide range of detailed information regarding various properties of the depicted materials. However, while existing databases are highly effective at capturing many object attributes, they often fail to account for the aesthetic qualities that are intrinsic to human-designed objects. There is an increasing body of evidence that suggests compelling links between aesthetic perception and a range of cognitive function encompassing, for instance, motor skills, decision-making processes and even consumer behavior. Therefore, the lack of standardized visual stimuli with controlled aesthetic properties represents a significant challenge for research. To address this gap, the present study introduces a novel set of 126 images of everyday objects (based on the BOSS database) that were evaluated by healthy adult participants (N=53) in terms of their visual appeal as well as other key standardization parameters (e.g., familiarity, visual complexity, and naming consistency). Each object is presented in three distinct conditions: neat/tidy, neutral, and untidy. As the rating data demonstrate, these three conditions closely correspond to varying levels of aesthetic visual attractiveness, ranging from highly appealing (neat) to moderately appealing (neutral) to objects with minimal aesthetic appeal (untidy). This set is designed to serve as a valuable tool for researchers investigating the intricate relationship between aesthetics and human-object interaction.