A Theoretical Framework for Visual Weight: Contrast, Size, and Edge Sharpness as Candidate Determinants of Perceived Dominance in Static Images

Version 2 Update: Revised prior to data collection to update hardness magnitude estimates, clarify structural assumptions, and better distinguish the framework’s region-level contribution from spatial-frequency approaches. A full changelog is included in the manuscript. A composition feels resolved when one element clearly leads and unstable when several compete without hierarchy, yet the image properties that produce this experience remain poorly formalized. This preprint presents a theoretical framework for that problem. The framework proposes that perceived compositional dominance depends on three candidate variables: contrast relative to a perceptually defined ground (“canvas”), fractional area, and edge transition sharpness (“hardness”). These variables are combined multiplicatively and embedded within a competitive architecture based on divisive normalization. A provisional chromatic extension accounts for interactions between color and luminance. The manuscript formalizes a concept long discussed qualitatively in art and design practice and derives falsifiable predictions for empirical testing. Related preregistration, stimuli, and materials are available at https://osf.io/dgauz and https://osf.io/kmzgj.