Palumbo and colleagues studied the preferences of different groups for curved and straight design elements. They report that they “administered abstract stimuli consisting of irregular polygons (angular vs. curved) and patterns of colored lines (angular vs. curved), as well as concrete stimuli consisting of images of interior spaces. Preference for curvature was confirmed with abstract stimuli in all 3 groups [people with autism, quasi-expert students of design, control group]. For interior design, the curvature effect diminished in magnitude, and this was especially evident in individuals with autism. Interestingly, quasi-experts preferred rectilinear over curvilinear interiors.”
L. Palumbo, G. Rampone, M. Bertamini, M. Sinico, E. Clarke, and O. Vartanian. 2022. “Visual Preferences for Abstract Curvature and for Interior Spaces: Beyond Undergraduate Student Samples.” Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Ats, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 577-593, https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000359