Effects of visual cues on assessment of water quality

Photographs of a freshwater harbour and contiguous wetlands were electronically scanned and then altered, to study effects of visual cues of water quality on various judgments. Subjects viewed the images on a computer monitor and indicated their ratings by clicking a ‘mouse’. Effects were assessed by between-group comparisons of responses to pictures that differed only in focal cues. Rubbish, aquatic vegetation, surface foam, a posted health warning, and a distant industrial backdrop detracted from ratings of how much subjects liked the waterscapes and of their appeal for particular recreational activities. Judgments of the portrayed water's amount of pollution were also affected, whereas more general attitudinal and dispositional responses about pollution were not. Viewing time was unrelated to how much subjects liked the waterscapes, but apparently reflected their complexity. These novel methods of computerized photo-manipulation and photo-questionnaire presentation appear ideal for elucidating which aspects of a scene affect its appeal.