Description: The Oxford Handbook of Empirical Aesthetics provides the most comprehensive coverage of the domain of empirical aesthetics to date. With sections on visual art, dance, music, and other art forms, the breadth of this volume reflects the richness and variety of topics and methods used by scientists to understand the way human beings appreciate art.
Review Quotes: "A must-have for those interested in the psychology of aesthetics, the arts, and subjective experiences that in the past have defied empirical investigation." -- Robert J. Sternberg, Professor of Psychology, Cornell University, USA
"How do we respond to and evaluate works of art? How is our response shaped by biology, culture, and/or personality? What methods are used to answer such questions empirically? For all researchers in the field of empirical aesthetics, and for readers outside the field interested in art and the mind, this handbook is an essential resource." -- Ellen Winner, Professor Emerita of Psychology, Boston College, USA Senior Research Associate, Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA, Author of How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration (OUP, 2019)"In 1871 Gustav Theodor Fechner conceived of an experimental aesthetics, studying art from below rather than above, using empirical not philosophical methods, studying what is liked rather than what should be liked. The Oxford Handbook of Empirical Aesthetics comprehensively summarises progress in realising Fechner's vision." -- Chris McManus, Professor of Psychology, University College London, UK"Filled to the brim with chapters on every imaginable aspect of the exciting and expanding field of empirical aesthetics. Overseen by masterful editors, this book is required reading for any scholar of the arts." -- James C. Kaufman, Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut, USA