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Stable aesthetic standards delusion: changing 'artistic quality' by elaboration
Perception
|November 26, 2014
Summary
Artistic quality judgments are not based on fixed standards but on experience. Our study shows that repeated exposure and deep elaboration of art influence aesthetic preferences, challenging traditional views.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Aesthetics
- Art Perception
Background:
- Traditional views posit stable, objective aesthetic standards guide judgments of artistic quality.
- This study questions the existence of such fixed standards, proposing they are subjective and context-dependent.
- The role of exposure, elaboration, and discourse in shaping aesthetic appreciation is explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To challenge the notion of stable aesthetic standards in judging artistic quality.
- To investigate whether aesthetic judgments are influenced by prior exposure and elaboration.
- To demonstrate that aesthetic processing is experience-based rather than based on fixed criteria.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments employed the repeated evaluation technique with deep elaboration tasks.
- Participants elaborated on different versions of the Mona Lisa (Louvre and Prado versions).
- Comparative elaboration and evaluation of blended versions were conducted to assess aesthetic variables.
Main Results:
- Judgments of artistic quality for blended artworks varied significantly based on the initially elaborated Mona Lisa version.
- This outcome indicates that aesthetic processing is influenced by individual experience and prior exposure.
- Findings contradict the hypothesis of stable, universal aesthetic standards.
Conclusions:
- Aesthetic standards are not stable but are malleable and experience-based.
- Judgments of artistic quality are a product of exposure, elaboration, and discourse.
- The study supports a dynamic, subjective model of aesthetic appreciation.
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