華人開放性與畫作偏好之關係：以認知閉合需求為中介

The Relationship between Chinese Openness and Painting Preference: Need for Cognitive Closure as a Mediator

過去研究已指出個體的性格與其對各類藝術之偏好間有密切關係，其中，開放性是個主要性格因素。張妙清（2002）發展了華人開放性的構念內涵與測量工具，但是此向度與藝術偏好之關聯並不清楚。因此，本文將就張妙清所提出的華人開放性及西方開放性來探討兩者與具象畫及抽象畫偏好之關聯，並進一步探討個體的開放性是否透過認知閉合需求來影響到其畫作偏好。本文以254位台灣地區大學生為對象，所有研究參與者均需填寫跨文化（華人）性格測量表第二版（測量華人開放性）、國際性格題庫（測量西方五項性格向度），以及認知閉合需求量表，並對6幅具象畫與6幅抽象畫（12幅畫作中包括了5幅不同時期的華人畫家的水墨畫作）進行喜歡程度的評定。綜合相關分析、迴歸分析及中介效果分析的結果，研究發現僅有華人開放性對抽象畫偏好有顯著的解釋效果，西方開放性對抽象畫偏好則沒有顯著解釋效果；對具象畫偏好，僅有情緒穩定性有顯著的解釋效果。研究結果進一步發現，華人開放性對抽象畫偏好的解釋效果部分透過認知閉合需求而來。本文針對研究結果特別就抽象畫針對華人開放性可能展現的象徵意義來解釋，並就中國水墨畫的構圖與鑑賞時可能心理歷程做進一步討論。

Past studies have shown a clear relationship between personality traits and art preference. Openness to Experience is an especially significant predictor for different kinds of art preference. This relationship has rarely been examined in a Chinese context, and no study has examined Chinese Openness in relation to painting preference. We examined the relationship between Chinese Openness, Western Openness, and painting preference. Chinese Openness consists of personal and interpersonal aspects. The personal aspects of Chinese Openness are similar to those of Western Openness, which reflects openness and imagination in personal intellectual and value domains. However, interpersonal aspects of Chinese Openness reflect social and interpersonal sensitivity and tolerance, which seldom appear in Western Openness. Thus, we investigated the relationship between Chinese and Western Openness and the preference for representative and abstract paintings. We expected that both Chinese and Western Openness would be significantly related to painting preference, especially to abstract paintings. We also investigated the mediating effect of Need for Cognitive Closure (NCC) on the relationship between Openness and painting preference. NCC reflects predictability, preference for order and structure, decisiveness, closed-mindedness, and discomfort with ambiguity. Past studies have revealed that in terms of art preference, people with high NCC like realism (e.g., mannerism) and dislike nonrealism (e.g., surrealism). NCC is a dispositional dimension that is similar to Openness in some ways, but it is more easily influenced by situational characteristics like time limits. Therefore, we expected NCC would be positively related to representative painting preference, but negatively related to abstract painting preference. Furthermore, we expected that NCC would mediate the association between Openness and type of painting preference. We recruited 254 participants (121 women, Mage= 21.6) to complete the measures for Chinese Openness (adapted from the Cross-Cultural Personality Assessment Inventory), Five International Personality Traits, and Need for Cognitive Closure. They also rated their preference for 6 representative paintings and 6 abstract paintings that included Chinese ink paintings and Western oil paintings. The results of the correlational and regression analyses indicated that both Chinese Openness and Intellect/Imagination had a significant positive relationship with a preference for abstract paintings, but NCC had significant negative relationship with this preference. However, Chinese Openness, Intellect/Imagination, and NCC did not have any significant relationship with a preference for representative paintings. Moreover, after controlling the effects of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Intellect/Imagination, NCC still had a significant mediation effect on the relationships between Chinese Openness and preference for abstract paintings in the mediation analysis, but the same mediation effect was not found in the relationships between Intellect/Imagination and abstract painting preference. Chinese Openness had a significant positive relationship with the preference for abstract painting and this effect was mediated by NCC, but the same effect was not obtained for Western Openness (Intellect/Imagination). It is possible that Chinese Openness, especially the interpersonal aspect, relates to seeking symbolic meaning in paintings and to understanding and tolerating painters' distinctive and individualized ways of seeing the world in paintings. Abstract paintings provide these kinds of opportunities, especially Chinese landscape paintings that combine multiple perspectives to create a conflicting but harmonious aesthetic experience for viewers. People with high Chinese Openness prefer this kind of painting. Another interesting but unexpected finding was that there was no effect of NCC on the preference for representative paintings. It is possible that although NCC is a dispositional dimension, it can also be a state dimension under some conditions, such as when there is no time limit. That is, people may be low in NCC when there is no time limit on rating one's preference for the paintings, so there is no effect evident between NCC and preference for representative paintings. The cultural implications of the relation of Chinese Openness to abstract painting preference and the psychological mechanism underlying appreciation of Chinese landscape paintings are issues to be explored in future research.