Attentional responses to landscape color exposure order: Evidence from fNIRS and eye-tracking

HyoYeong Jeong¹Seongdae Kim^2*

• ¹Sangmyung University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
• ²Hongik University, Mapo-gu, Republic of Korea

Color is a critical determinant of aesthetic experience, shaping both immersion and cognitive responses. However, the extent to which the sequence of color exposure modulates the interplay between neural activation and ocular behavior remains insufficiently elucidated. In this study, ten chromatic landscape paintings were collected and converted into achromatic versions, yielding a total of twenty visual stimuli. Participants were assigned to two experimental conditions: Condition A (achromatic to chromatic) and Condition B (chromatic to achromatic). Visual attention and prefrontal activation were assessed using eye-tracking techniques and functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Analyses revealed significantly greater neural activation in Condition A within the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (p-raw = 0.006), left orbitofrontal cortex (p-raw = 0.043), and right orbitofrontal cortex (p-raw = 0.043). Eye-tracking metrics further indicated longer Total duration of fixation (p-raw = 0.015), Maximum duration of fixation (p-raw = 0.036), and Total duration of whole fixation (p-raw = 0.025) under Condition A relative to Condition B. Subjective evaluations likewise demonstrated significant effects, with higher ratings for Match (p-raw = 0.005) and Feel (p-raw = 0.029). Taken together, these findings demonstrate that color stimuli exert a decisive influence not only on subjective immersion but also on objective neurocognitive processes. The study extends the scientific foundation of empirical aesthetics and offers novel implications for the design of museum and exhibition environments.