The Experimental Psychology of Beauty (Collected Works of C.W. Valentine Book 7)

Originally Published In 1962, The Experimental Study Of Aesthetics Was A Field Particularly Associated With The Name Of C.w. Valentine, Who In This Book Provided A Critical Review Of Research Carried Out Since The End Of The Nineteenth Century Principally By British And American Psychologists. The Investigations Described, Many Of Them Conducted By The Author, Are Concerned With Individual Responses To What Is Commonly Regarded As Beautiful In Painting, Music, And Poetry, An Important Distinction Being Made Between The Perception Of Objects As ‘beautiful’ As Opposed To ‘pleasing’. The Reactions Of Children And Adults, And Of People Having Different Ethnic And Social Backgrounds, Are Explored In A Variety Of Experiments Dealing With Specific Elements, Including Colour, Form, And Balance In Painting; Musical Intervals, Discord, Harmony, Melody, And Tempo; And Rhythm, Metre, Imagery, And Associations In Classical And Romantic Poetry. Other Experiments Seek To Disclose The Temperamental And Attitudinal Factors Underlying Individual Differences In The Judgement And Appreciation Of Specific Works Of Art. Of Particular Interest Are The Studies Of Responses To Modern Paintings, Poems And Musical Compositions. The Findings Throw Light On The Development Of Discrimination And Taste And Suggest The Possibility Of Some Common Factor In The Appreciation Of These Three Arts. It Was Felt That Critics As Well As Psychologists And Aestheticians Would Find Much To Encourage Reflection And To Stimulate Further Research. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Original Title Original Copyright PREFACE CONTENTS TABLES ILLUSTRATIONS I INTRODUCTION II COLOUR AND COLOUR PREFERENCES III ATTITUDES TO COLOURS AND COMBINATIONS OF COLOURS IV FORM LINES SHAPES AND SUGGESTED MOVEMENT V BALANCE AND SYMMETRY VI THE APPEARANCE OF AESTHETIC APPRECIATION IN YOUNG CHILDREN VII EXPERIMENTS WITH PICTURES VIII FURTHER EXPERIMENTS WITH PICTURES AND WITH PHOTOGRAPHS OF OBJETS IX SOME REACTIONS TO MODERN ART X MUSICAL INTERVALS AND ATTITUDES TO MUSIC XI SOME SPECIAL ASPECTS OF AND FACTORS IN LISTENING TO MUSIC XII MUSIC AND THE EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS OR “MEANING” XIII EXPERIMENTS ON THE APPRECIATION OF POETRY XIV EXPERIMENTS WITH MODERN POETRY XV CONCLUSION APPENDIX-CORRELATIONS INDEX OF NAMES INDEX OF SUBJECTS Charles W. Valentine (1879-1964) Is An Important Figure In The History Of Educational Psychology. Leaving School At 17 To Become A Teacher, He Continued To Study Himself At The Same Time, Gaining Degrees From London, Cambridge And St. Andrews. He Was Professor Of Education At The University Of Birmingham In 1919 Until His Retirement In 1946, Then President Of The British Psychological Society For 1947-1948. His Research Covered Many Areas Including Child Development, Imagery, Mental Testing, Home And Classroom Discipline. Out Of Print For Many Years The Collected Works Of C.w. Valentine Is An Opportunity To Revisit Many Of His Finest Works. Charles W. Valentine (1879-1964) is an important figure in the history of educational psychology. Leaving school at 17 to become a teacher, he continued to study at the same time, gaining degrees from London, Cambridge and St. Andrews. He was professor of education at the University of Birmingham in 1919 until his retirement in 1946, then president of the British Psychological Society from 1947-1948. His research covered many areas including child development, imagery, mental testing, home and classroom discipline. Out of print for many years, the Collected Works of C.W. Valentine is an opportunity to revisit many of his finest works. Originally published in 1950, the author after many years' teaching of psychology, and previous school teaching experience, provided a book specially suitable for students in training colleges and university education departments, for teachers, youth leaders, and all concerned with the training of children and adolescents at the time. By C. W. Valentine. First Published In 1962. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes.