Trends in Empirical Aesthetics

Abstract

This article evaluates trends in empirical aesthetics by systematically reviewing the contents of the journal Empirical Studies of the Arts from its first issue in 1983 up to 2014. To sufficiently capture the wide distribution of art divisions, diverse approaches, and variety of methods involved in empirical aesthetics, 398 articles were examined in the following three categories: Art Domains, Topics, and Methods. In a second step, all 38 music-related articles were reviewed in terms of study design, participants, stimuli, analysis methods, results, and their relation to the field of empirical aesthetics. Based on this, distributions and longitudinal developments within the journal were identified and assessments regarding their relation to empirical aesthetics with special emphasis on music were made.