Seasonality bias in landscape preference research

Little attention has been paid to potential seasonality biases in landscape preference research using photographic simulations. This paper presents findings that substantiate the hypothesis that there is an interaction between the season in which photographs are taken and the season in which they are evaluated. This interaction may partially invalidate research in which it occurs. Using nine unspectacular landscapes, four of which had fall coloration, in a paired comparison routine, the preferences of similar subject groups in two different seasons were compared. The preferences of the two groups were not significantly related, and a strong shift in the preferences for landscapes according to their coloration was found.