Some determinants of looking time under different instructional sets

Four groups of Ss were asked to look at sets of figures whose members differed in degree of complexity and asymmetry. Ss instructed to look as long as the figures were pleasing did so for a significantly shorter time than did Ss who were instructed to look as long as they cared to, as long as the figures were interesting, or until they could recognize the figures in a large group of similar figures. Results indicated that looking time was affected by both the complexity and the asymmetry/symmetry dimensions and led to the conclusion that looking time is primarily a measure of exploratory behavior.