An Examination of Theories of Aesthetic Development with Implication for Future Research

Author: Jo Chiung-Hua Chen (Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University)

Vol.&No.：Vol. 42 (New Version)
Date：October 1997
Pages：13-27
DOI：10.6210/JNTNULL.1997.42.02

Abstract：

This study investigates theories of aesthetic development from 1937 to 1995. These theories fall in-to two categories: those which examine some specific elements of a developmental structure, and those which looked for a holistic stage structure of aesthetic development. This study shows that both of these theories indicate a universal scheme that aesthetic abilities are related to an individual's cognitive development and experiences with art. Because these empirical findings of predicting developmental levels only reflect an educated Westerner's development in this domain, this implies a non-universal possibility that individual aesthetic growth might follow different paths and speeds. Therefore, cultural differences in developmental levels needs to be further explored.

Keywords：perception, cognition, aesthetic judgment, aesthetic ability, aesthetic development

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