How did giorgio vasari view drawings in his famous book lives of the painters?

One of the researchers mentions that he is looking for "affiliation cues" in the video recordings of the experiment. how would you describe what these affiliation cues indicate?

What “knits” the above painting together? a. the figural arrangement b. the facial expressions c. the mood, created by sunlight through the trees d. the dancing figures to the left of the painting

Idon’t know if the answer are right. ❤️