Impact of Contextualizing Information on Aesthetic Experience and Psychophysiological Responses to Art in a Museum: A Naturalistic Randomized Controlled Trial

Contextual information influences aesthetic experience and psychophysiological responses to art, yet these influences have seldom been analyzed with real artworks in a real museum. Consequently, this study set out to assess the aesthetic experience and psychophysiological responses of participants in an art museum viewing 6 artworks of Flemish expressionism. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the experimental conditions, either receiving elaborative information or descriptive information on the artworks. Aesthetic experiences were assessed via a questionnaire and through psychophysiological markers. A systematic influence of contextual information on aesthetic experience could not be shown. However, artworks had effects on aesthetic experience and heart rate, heart rate variability, skin conductance, and skin conductance variability. The results indicate that the characteristics of the artwork itself have a stronger impact than provided contextual information, at least when they are perceived as originals in a museum.