HATlab

Humans, Art  and Technology  Lab
Leiden University’s department of Cognitive Psychology

We study how Humans interact with Art and Technology

How can we enhance the experience of museum visitors? How much should we trust artificial intelligence and self-driving technology?

Research innovation & Collaboration

By relying on cutting-edge research, scientific evidence and strong collaborations with major museums, governmental institutions and technology stakeholders, we provide answers to questions that aim to deeply change society.
Case study

How do visitors perceive art at the Rijksmuseum?

When we first connected with the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam in 2022, it was clear we shared a passion for enhancing the visitor experience. As a lab, we're not just looking to use their space for our research—we're all about teaming up to make a real difference in society. We found common ground with the museum's educational department, and since then, we've been working together to enhance the visitor experience.

Our main focus? Understanding how museum visitors perceive art, and determining the most effective ways to share information, such as painting descriptions, with both children and adults.
At HAT, we firmly believe that scientific evidence can help museums make strategic decisions that can positively change the visitor’s experience.

Reshape how we describe art to children

We could use this knowledge to reshape the way in which paintings are typically described to younger visitors. Our first findings indicate that narrative formats, compared to more traditional factual painting descriptions, positively impact the way in which children view paintings. Importantly, we also show that giving to kids information intended for adult visitors is often just as ineffective as providing them with no information at all.

Adults vs. children

In previous work we showed, for the very first time, that children and adults view paintings in a very different way: children are immediately attracted to elements of the artwork that tend to pop-out, due to their color and shape. Conversely, adults are more influenced by their expectations and pre-existing knowledge concerning the artist and the painting.

Support the Art Matters campaign

We've launched a crowdfunding campaign to support research on how art and museums change how we see the world.
Every contribution counts. Your support allows us to turn research into real change, creating museum experiences that make a lasting difference in how people connect with art.

Our Team

Head of lab

Dr. Francesco Walker

Art Perception, Trust in Automation, Mobile eye tracking, Cognitive Psychology, Human Factors
“I study the ways in which humans interact with human artifacts: from art to technology”.
PhD candidate

Rajat Ravi Rao

MEG, fMRI analysis, EEG, Art Perception, Predictive Coding
“Our brains are more than passive agents reacting to the environment. Understanding its active role will tell us how each of our brains shape our worlds”.

Bio

Rajat Ravi Rao is a PhD candidate at Leiden University, specialising in the intersection of visual art perception and emotions. His research aims to dissect the specific elements of visual art that influence human perception and emotional responses, exploring how these emotions reciprocally affect perception. Rajat is keen on employing a predictive coding framework, integrating experimental methodologies with advanced eye-tracking and neuroimaging technologies, including fMRI and EEG, to elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms driving these interactions.
PhD candidate

Zsofia Pilz

Eye Tracking, Art Perception, Art Education
“Art opens up new worlds through the eyes of a child. We can create more exciting museum spaces for children by understanding their visual journey and how best to guide and educate them in the museum environment.”

Bio

Zsofia Pilz is a PhD candidate at Leiden University. She studies children's visual perception in authentic art museum contexts. Her latest work investigates different types of labels in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The aim of her research is to improve the museum experience, especially for children. Zsofia also works for the eye-tracking company Tobii, combining her professional role with her academic pursuits.
Visiting researcher

Dr. Somayeh Sahebalzamani

Qualitative research, Consumer psychology, Language teaching methods, Critical thinking
“Education gives humanity purpose, art gives it soul, and technology gives it reach — together they define the rhythm of human evolution”.
Intern

Bade 
Kilic

Art perception, Aesthetic experience,
Cognitive processing of art, Museum studies
“I’m passionate about exploring art, archeology, and heritage to shape human perception and emotion. Aiming to understand how museums can evolve into spaces not only for learning, but also for reflection, relaxation, and connection, bridging cognitive science, aesthetics, and contemporary culture to inspire more mindful and meaningful encounters.
Master student

Lucie van Hooff

Cognitive Psychology,  Attention studies
Project:
Learning to see by doing: an eye-tracking study at the Rijksmuseum
Master student

Eline Ipenburg

Cognitive psychology
Project:
Learning to see by doing: an eye-tracking study at the Rijksmuseum
Master student

Olivia Georgiou

Cognitive psychology, Eye-tracking, VR, Perception
Project:
Learning to see by doing: an eye-tracking study at the Rijksmuseum
Master student

Selin Isik

Cognitive psychology, UX Research
Project:
The impact of child-written labels: an eye-tracking study at the Groninger Museum
Master student

Océane Tilman

Cognitive psychology
Project:
The impact of child-written labels: an eye-tracking study at the Groninger Museum

Grants

Grass Shoots education grant

Pitching in VR: Enhancing student presentation skills with Virtual Speech (2024, 8k)

Starter grant

Unleashing the Power of Emotion: Exploring the Role of Emotional Engagement in Art Appreciation and Education (2023, 260k)

Media

Bart Vergeer (2024, May 16). Zwanenzang van de verbrandingsmotor. Het Financieele Dagblad (The Netherlands)

Linda van Putten (2022, December 22). What do children see in art? Psychologists are studying this at the Rijksmuseum. Leiden University (The Netherlands)

Bien Borren (2017, August 27). Kinderen beleven kunst op hun eigen manier. Het Parool (The Netherlands)

Kelly Kasulis (2017, July 23). Art through the eyes of babies. The Boston Globe (USA)

Oliver Moody (2017, June 22). The naked truth about how adults see art. The Times (United Kingdom)

Publications

Walker, F., Bucker, B., Snell, J., et al. (2024). Age-adapted painting descriptions change the viewing behavior of young visitors to the Rijksmuseum. Scientific Reports, 14, 22880. 

Walker, F., Forster, Y., Hergeth, S., Kraus, J., Payre, W., Wintersberger, P., & Martens, M. (2023). Trust in automated vehicles: constructs, psychological processes, and assessment. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1279271.

Walker, F., Wang, J., Martens, M. H., & Verwey, W. B. (2019). Gaze behaviour and electrodermal activity: Objective measures of drivers’ trust in automated vehicles. Transportation research part F: traffic psychology and behaviour, 64, 401-412.

Walker, F., Bucker, B., Anderson, N. C., Schreij, D., & Theeuwes, J. (2017). Looking at paintings in the Vincent Van Gogh Museum: Eye movement patterns of children and adults. PloS one, 12(6), e0178912.

Partners

Let's collaborate!

Do you work at a public institution or museum, government body or private company (e.g. vehicle manufacturer)? Let's work together to find answers to urgent issues.

Are you looking for an enthusiastic speaker on art and tech perception, or a trainer in science communication skills?

Send us an email!
hatlab@fsw.leidenuniv.nl