Merrick Powell, Jane W. Davidson, William Forde Thompson
{"title":"Understanding the Cognitive and Psychosocial Implications of Dance Expertise in Older Adults: A Scoping Review","authors":"Merrick Powell, Jane W. Davidson, William Forde Thompson","doi":"10.1177/02762374261424469","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374261424469","url":null,"abstract":"Creative arts and physical activities can confer cognitive and psychosocial benefits for people of all ages, including older adults. Dance is a creative and physical art form that involves improvised or choreographed movements to music and rhythmic patterns. While research shows growing evidence for health and wellbeing benefits from dance interventions for older adults, little is known about the cognitive and psychosocial advantages of having long-term expertise in dance. This scoping review identified and synthesised the existing research on the influence of sustained engagement in dance or elite-level dance skills on cognitive function and psychosocial wellbeing in older adulthood. Ten studies were included for analysis. The findings of this review show the limited research on older adults with high levels of dance expertise and may serve as a stimulus for further research to understand how maintaining different creative arts and physical activities across the lifespan supports healthy ageing.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147287294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tal Vaizman, Anita Lanszki, Nóra Sebestyén, Ildikó Gaál-Wéber, Gal Harpaz
{"title":"Self-Cultivation to Academic Success: Effects of Stress and Psychological Characteristics among Performing and Non-Performing-Arts Students","authors":"Tal Vaizman, Anita Lanszki, Nóra Sebestyén, Ildikó Gaál-Wéber, Gal Harpaz","doi":"10.1177/02762374261422100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374261422100","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates how self-cultivating factors are associated with stress and academic achievement among performing arts students (dancers and musicians) and non-performing-arts students in Hungary (N = 325). Using a controlled-group design, data were collected with validated instruments assessing stress, self-efficacy, personal growth, life satisfaction, savoring art, academic grit, and subjective academic achievement. Pearson correlations and path analysis were applied to examine direct and indirect relationships among variables. Stress had a negative effect on academic achievement primarily through decreased well-being and self-efficacy, while savoring art and personal growth showed indirect positive effects. Dancers reported significantly higher self-efficacy than both musicians and non-arts students, whereas musicians scored higher in savoring art. Findings highlight the psychological strengths fostered through performing arts education and emphasize the role of self-cultivation traits in enhancing student resilience and academic success.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147274306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Gray Cube Effect on Street Art Appreciation: Preliminary Findings on the Role of Art Figurativeness—A Brief Report","authors":"Robbie Ho, Joanna Dreszer, Magdalena Szubielska","doi":"10.1177/02762374261422101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374261422101","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigated the impact of viewing context on the aesthetic evaluation of street art (the gray cube effect), considering viewers’ art interest and place familiarity, and explored the role of street art figurativeness. Eighty participants viewed six street artworks either on the street or in the laboratory. They rated their place familiarity with each artwork's location and their aesthetic evaluation of each artwork, and they reported their art interest. Results supported the gray cube effect, showing higher evaluations for artworks seen on the street, especially representational pieces with figurative elements. These effects were unaffected by art interest or place familiarity. The findings suggest that an optimal viewing context combined with figurative artistic content enhances appreciation of street art. Limitations are discussed.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"331 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146205310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Elaborative Cognitive Processing Reduces Aesthetic Agreement Independently of Aesthetic Reliability","authors":"Jiabao Hu, Min Li, Zhile Lü, Zhao Fan, Xiaorong Cheng, Xianfeng Ding","doi":"10.1177/02762374261422099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374261422099","url":null,"abstract":"A fleeting glimpse of an imposing edifice may elicit a transient perception of beauty in many observers. However, aesthetic judgments formed after prolonged contemplation of its architectural style, cultural significance, and personal relevance are not always congruent with the initial glance-based aesthetic impressions. The precise impact of elaborative cognitive processing on aesthetic judgments across and within observers remains to be fully elucidated. Within the framework of the Pleasure-Interest Model of Aesthetic Liking (PIA model), the present study delves into the potential influence of automatic (rapid, mainly stimulus-driven) and controlled (elaborate, mainly perceiver-driven) processing on both aesthetic reliability and aesthetic agreement (shared aesthetic taste), examining whether these two aesthetic measures exhibit coupled or independent effects. Additionally, we investigate whether the impact of cognitive processing on aesthetic agreement and aesthetic reliability varies depending on the stimulus domain, contrasting natural stimuli (e.g., faces) with human-made stimuli (e.g., artistic paintings). Our findings demonstrate that controlled processing based on elaboration reduces aesthetic agreement compared to automatic processing. This decline in <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">between-subject</jats:italic> aesthetic agreement is independent of <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">within-subject</jats:italic> aesthetic reliability, which can be reduced by extending the test-retest interval or employing more liberal lexical associations. Furthermore, natural stimuli elicit higher aesthetic agreement than human-made stimuli under automatic processing, but not under controlled processing. Notably, agreements of aesthetic judgment demonstrated consistent correlations across different stimulus categories. The implications of our findings are discussed in light of a hierarchical structure encompassing two aesthetic valuation systems.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146184241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carlos Eduardo Pimentel, Isabella Leandra Silva Santos, Débora Cristina Nascimento de Lima, Suiane Magalhães Tavares, Tailson Evangelista Mariano, Daniele de Fátima de Paiva Abreu, Jamille Alcantara Mota Malveira, Balduíno Guedes Fernandes da Cunha
{"title":"Violent Media Effects on Well-being: The Moderating Role of Media Preference","authors":"Carlos Eduardo Pimentel, Isabella Leandra Silva Santos, Débora Cristina Nascimento de Lima, Suiane Magalhães Tavares, Tailson Evangelista Mariano, Daniele de Fátima de Paiva Abreu, Jamille Alcantara Mota Malveira, Balduíno Guedes Fernandes da Cunha","doi":"10.1177/02762374261416846","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374261416846","url":null,"abstract":"The present research aimed to investigate media violence impacts on positive and negative affective well-being, as well as media preference's moderating role. To this end, three online experiments were conducted, using film (N = 210, mean age = 28.58, SD = 11.77, 63.3% women), music (N = 213, mean age = 25.82, SD = 8.35, 73.70% women), and books (N = 200, mean age = 25.69, SD = 8.55, 70% women) as a stimulus. Results indicated that violent media decreases positive affects and increases negative affects, especially regarding exposure to music and films. Media preference's role provided mixed results. In general, this research can contribute to spreading awareness regarding the negative impacts of media violence on mental health and well-being.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146089845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shannon J. Skeffington, Adam J. Lonsdale, Clare J. Rathbone, Mark Burgess
{"title":"Music Consumption: A Systematic Review Across the Lifespan","authors":"Shannon J. Skeffington, Adam J. Lonsdale, Clare J. Rathbone, Mark Burgess","doi":"10.1177/02762374251412257","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251412257","url":null,"abstract":"The present study aimed to systematically review research concerning changes in music consumption across the lifespan to better understand how adults of all ages consume music. Keyword searches of four academic databases identified 2,002 peer-reviewed articles, and of these, fifteen articles were selected for review using the PRISMA protocol. The findings indicated that very few studies have investigated how people of all ages consume music, and the limited research on this topic has been methodologically inconsistent, leading to contradictory and inconclusive findings. This review also identified a shortlist of possible factors (e.g., life goals, personality, conformity) that might account for any age-related changes in musical consumption. As life expectancy and the proportion of elderly people continue to increase in many countries, the review recommends that future research should seek to reflect how people of all ages consume music and identify factors responsible for any changes as people grow older.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"84 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145920114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Multisensory Imagery Enhances the Aesthetic Evaluation of Paintings: A Virtual Reality Study","authors":"Zefei Chen, Zijun Han, Lei Wu, Jianping Huang","doi":"10.1177/02762374251412761","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251412761","url":null,"abstract":"Some forms of art provide information through a single sensory modality, whereas multisensory information usually enhances aesthetic experience. When external information is unavailable, mental imagery can function as “weak perception”, supplying additional sensory details. A preregistered virtual reality study was conducted in an immersive virtual museum to examine how multisensory imagery, professional background, and sensory imagery ability relate to imagery vividness, emotional arousal, valence, and the aesthetic appeal of paintings. The results demonstrated that multisensory imagery significantly influenced aesthetic evaluations, and that individuals’ imagery abilities were associated with these evaluations. Further analyses indicated that vividness and emotional arousal statistically accounted for the association between multisensory imagery and aesthetic appeal, and that vividness accounted for the association between sensory imagery ability and aesthetic evaluations. These findings link multisensory imagery to vividness and aesthetic appeal, offering implications for aesthetic cognition. They also suggest that intentional multisensory imagery training may improve art appreciation.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145903695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Victor Lytvynenko, Olena Karandieieva, Olha Yatsenko, Andrii Tymchula, Artem Morozov
{"title":"Contemporary Trends in Choreographic art in Ukraine in the 21st Century: A Psychological Perspective","authors":"Victor Lytvynenko, Olena Karandieieva, Olha Yatsenko, Andrii Tymchula, Artem Morozov","doi":"10.1177/02762374251411265","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251411265","url":null,"abstract":"The current study aimed to investigate the antecedents of choreographic adaptability at the psychological and cognitive levels among professional Ukrainian choreographers and contemporary dancers in the context of global and national transformations. One hundred ninety-four participants from 46 Ukrainian cities were surveyed using six instruments: The Choreographic Transformation Questionnaire, the Flow Short Scale, the Body Self-Attitude Typology Scale, the Executive Network Activity Scale, the Passive Neurocognitive Activity Scale, and the Objective Cognitive Evaluation Scale. Heterogeneity in correlation patterns was significant, with choreographers exhibiting larger innovation-executive function and smaller symbolic embodiment-flow correlations. Dancers showed stronger symbolic links between embodiment and flow, whereas choreographers relied more on executive and metacognitive resources. Mediation analyses identified objective cognitive evaluation (cognitive–emotional flexibility) as a partial mediator between internal embodiment and overall innovation-readiness among choreographers. The results show that artistic adaptability in Ukrainian choreographic community members includes principal roles for psychological embodiment, flow, and cognitive control.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145893684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“The Dark Beholder”: Personality Profile of Dark Visual Art Fans","authors":"Revital Naor-Ziv, Elinor Levi, Joseph Glicksohn","doi":"10.1177/02762374251401088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251401088","url":null,"abstract":"The present study examined the personality traits of those who are attracted to dark visual art, in an attempt to understand whether their attraction to this dark genre indicates any of the dark traits. The study examined a sample of 241 participants from a specific forum of dark visual art fans (80% women and 20% men), aged between 18–65. Participants completed three online personality questionnaires: the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ / SF), examining the five traits of Extraversion, Neuroticism, Activity, Aggressiveness and Sensation Seeking; the SD3, assessing the Dark Triad traits of Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy; and the Empathy Quotient (EQ-Short). The fan of Dark Art, on average, scores higher than relevant controls on Machiavellianism (but not higher on Narcissism or Psychopathy); scores higher on Aggressiveness (but not higher on Sensation Seeking), but lower on Activity; and scores lower on Extraversion while scoring higher on Neuroticism.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145614124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaolei Sun, Jiajia Che, Helmut Leder, Marcos Nadal
{"title":"Exposure to Different Levels of Visual Complexity Influences Judgments of Complexity and Liking","authors":"Xiaolei Sun, Jiajia Che, Helmut Leder, Marcos Nadal","doi":"10.1177/02762374251391644","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251391644","url":null,"abstract":"We examined how familiarity with low or high complexity images influences complexity, liking and understanding judgments. Participants were first familiarized with either low or high complexity images. They then rated a set of intermediately complex images on perceived complexity, liking, and understanding. Data were analyzed using Bayesian mixed-effects models, controlling for declarative art knowledge, art interest, and visual art recognition. Participants familiarized with high complexity images rated intermediately complex images as less complex, indicating a contrast effect. Higher declarative art knowledge was linked to increased complexity ratings. Additionally, liking judgments were predicted by complexity ratings, especially among participants familiarized with simpler images, revealing that prior exposure shapes the relationship between complexity and liking. In contrast, understanding judgments were unaffected by complexity ratings or familiarization. These findings highlight the role of prior exposure in shaping visual complexity judgments, demonstrating how familiarity with certain complexity levels recalibrates perceptual baselines and influences subsequent evaluative judgments.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"88 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145434988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}