A Quest for Beauty

Abstract

In this chapter, the functional neuroimaging study of aesthetic judgment of beauty, reported in Jacobsen and colleagues, is reviewed from the experimenters’ point of view. Based on a framework for the psychology of aesthetics, the multifactorial determination of aesthetic judgment is discussed, along with implications for experimental design in neuroaesthetics. The selection of dependent and independent variables, as well as the control of influencing factors on aesthetic judgment, are discussed with respect to the design of the particular study. The 2006 study is also discussed with respect to contemporary neurocognitive psychology of aesthetics or neuroaesthetics.