The new experimental aesthetics—The beginning or the end?

In reference to recent work in aesthetics from a scientific perspective, Berlyne coined the phrase the new experimental aesthetics. Berlyne's contributions to this research area are discussed in terms of the philosophical, theoretical, and methodological issues central to the current literature. The paper concludes with a consideration of the future prospects for experimental aesthetics.This paper was presented at a symposium in honor of Daniel E. Berlyne at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, August 27, 1977. The presentation of this paper was supported by a grant from York University.     

Pleasure and Complexity: Berlyne Revisited

D. E. Berlyne (1960, 1974) posited an increasing linear function for complexity with an inverted U-shaped function for pleasure. Berlyne's theory of aesthetic response was tested through the presentation of 6 color reproductions of paintings to 92 participants and the gauging of their responses. When participants' pleasure was compared with interest, that hypothesis was upheld. However, when complexity was compared with pleasure, Berlyne's theory was not supported.     

Structuralism and experimental aesthetics: Bridging some gaps

Structuralism in psychology has much to do with what Berlyne called his rival tradition in aesthetics, the speculative and interpretative approach. Berlyne's concern with motivation can be retained while structuralism's emphasis on understanding is accepted.This paper was originally presented at the Berlyne Symposium, American Psychological Association Meeting, San Francisco, August 1977. Support from the Connaught Development Grant to Scarborough College is acknowledged.     

The place of order and uncertainty in art and environmental aesthetics

Contrasting views in writings of architectural aesthetics regarding the virtues of diversity as opposed to unity are examined in terms of Berlyne's treatment of the unity-amid-variety issue, and of work by him and others attempting to distinguish effects of complexity and redundancy. Research on the role of structural relationships in complex configurations suggests the need for coming to grips with such Gestaltist variables as order and balance in the context of a motivational theory of response to aesthetic stimuli such as Berlyne's.This paper was written while the author was on leave at the Institute for Urban and Regional Development of the University of California at Berkeley, with partial support from a grant from the Farrand Fund of the Department of Landscape Architecture. It was prepared for a symposium in memory of Daniel Berlyne held at the meetings of the Canadian Psychological Association in Vancouver, B. C., June 9, 1977.     

Perceived stimulus complexity and food preference development

The importance of perceived complexity, a "collative property" as defined by [Berlyne, D. E. (1967). Arousal and reinforcement. In Nebraska symposium on motivation (pp. 1-110). University of Nebraska Press], to the dynamic development of preference was investigated. Eighty-six female and 82 male subjects rated their liking for and various collative properties of seven very similar orange drinks that differed only in perceived complexity as a result of adding small quantities of other flavours. This was done before and after giving each subject extended experience of one of the drinks, each being used equally often for this purpose. As predicted by the theory of [Dember, W. N., & Earl, R. W. (1957). Analysis of exploratory, manipulatory and curiosity behavior. Psychological Review, 64 (2), 91-96] exposure to a stimulus with a slightly higher complexity than an individual subject's optimally preferred level of perceived complexity, caused an upwards shift in that level, whereas exposure to a less complex stimulus had no such effect. Changes in the appreciation of the drinks predicted by the theory were also observed.     

Information theory and collative motivation: incentive value of uncertainty, variety, and novelty for children

We tested the applicability of concepts and measures from information theory to studies of the development and operation of collative motivation. Three variables nominated by Berlyne as potential motivators of information seeking--uncertainty, variety, and novelty--were put into correspondence with three informational theoretic measures--average uncertainty in bits, number of possible outcomes, and outcome probability--to investigate the incentive properties of each variable for first and fourth graders. Increasing bit levels of uncertainty by adding alternatives to the set of possible outcomes was generally positively related to cover choices; however, increasing bit values by varying outcome probabilities from unequal to equal had no effect on choice. Without uncertainty, variety provided a weak source of collative motivation, systematically related to the choice of the transparent cover only for the older children when rewards occurred equally frequently. In contrast, the transparent cover was chosen significantly more frequently when the outcome probability of the associated reward was low. We obtained developmental stability in motivational effects except for variety operating in the absence of uncertainty.     

Daniel Berlyne's contributions to empirical aesthetics

This article reviews the four types of evidence relevant to arousal as a determinant of aesthetic preference: (a) preference as related to arousal-producing attributes of objects, (b) preference changes through time as a function of such attributes, (c) preference as a function of the arousal level of the observer, and (d) perception of art objects as revealed by multidimensional scaling. Some evidence, but not all, underscores the importance of arousal, but the arousal framework rightly continues to inspire empirical work.This paper was presented at a symposium in honor of Daniel Berlyne, at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, August 27, 1977, in San Francisco.     

Subjective Uncertainty as a Predictor of Specific Exploration

This study compared two measures of subjective uncertainty to a measure of experimenter-defined uncertainty in their prediction of specific exploration in children (N = 93 boy and girls aged 6–7 to 10–11 years old). As suggested by Berlyne, subjective uncertainty was hypothesized to be a more effective measure in predicting specific exploratory behavior than experimenter-defined uncertainty, since it accounts for the contributions of the individual engaged in the exploration. Results supported the hypothesis, indicating that both measures of subjective uncertainty were significantly better predictors of specific exploration than an experimenter-defined measure.     

Amount of stimulus exploration and preference as differential functions of stimulus complexity

Two sets of photographic slides, one made up of scenes from the geographic environment, the other of works of non-representational modern art, were scaled for complexity by obtaining judges’ ratings of amount of variation present on several specified stimulus attributes. Fourteen slides defining a sevenpoint scale of complexity were selected from each set and given to college students to obtain measures of (a) amount of exploratory behavior (number of times S chose to expose each slide briefly), and (b) preference (evaluative ratings on a seven-point scale). In accordance with prediction, the former measure emerged as a linearly increasing function of complexity, while the relationship between complexity and preference was curvilinear, reaching a maximum at an intermediate level of complexity. The results are related to Berlyne’s distinction between specific and diversive stimulus exploration, and implications for the study of aesthetics are discussed.     

Interrelations of verbal and nonverbal measures used in experimental aesthetics

Berlyne, D. E. Interrelations of verbal and non-verbal measures used in experimental aesthetics. Scand. J. Psychol., 1973, 14, 177–184.MdashIn Experiment I, 40 miscellaneous visual patterns were rated on 12 scales. Factor analysis of correlations over patterns indicates three factors, provisionally labeled Complexity-Uncertainty. Hedonic Value, and Cortical Arousal. Factor loadings and significant differences among estimated factor scores are discussed with special reference to (1) relations with Osgood's dimensions (2) scales indicative of pleasure and discomfort and (3) scales indicative of arousal. Experiment II measured looking time. Relations between this measure and verbal judgments are examined.     

Überlegungen zur theoretischen Fundierung der Disziplin Wirtschaftsinformatik, ausgehend von der allgemeinen Systemtheorie

Using general system theory as a theoretical foundation of business information systems science. The science of business information systems is looking for its theoretical foundations. In this article general system theory is adapted to serve as such a theoretical foundation. The adapted general system theory is reconstructed using the structuralistic approach to reveal the empirical claims of this theory and to analyse scientific progress in the science of business information systems. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Theory of Emotions in Marketing

To determine whether a theory of emotions in marketing is needed, this article assesses the current theoretical status of emotions in marketing. The theoretical propositions and the characteristics of four major theories of emotions borrowed from psychology, as well as five marketing accounts for emotions are reviewed. The characteristics of emotions in marketing are specified and compared with the characteristics of emotions as seen by psychology. The article ends with four theoretical proposals on directions for future development of a theory of emotions in marketing.     

扎根理论的运用：误区与策略

扎根理论在多学科研究中呈上升趋势,但运用误区和难点制约着研究质量。基于扎根理论的核心原则剖析常见的运用误区：忽视理论生成、将系统方法论窄化为编码程序、将理论抽样混同为目的性抽样或初始抽样;将理论等同于数据;重机械编码轻备忘录写作和持续比较。总结理论抽样、理论、适宜编码、备忘录撰写和持续比较的具体策略。最后提出扎根理论运用研究应秉承扎根、融合创新,注重系统性、规范性和灵活性。     

后经验主义时代的理论心理学

随着经验实证主义的衰落,心理学迎来了后经验主义时代。在后经验主义时代,人们对理论和经验观察的关系有了新的理解。理论不再是经验观察的附属物,相反,经验事实是被理论决定的。理论不是经验事实的概括和归纳,而是一种文化历史的建构。后经验主义时代的理论心理学以库恩的范式论、现象学、释义学和社会建构论作为自己的哲学基础。理论的评价标准不再是与经验事实的一致性。因为经验事实由于受到理论的污染,不再是一种客观的标准。在后经验主义条件下,理论的评价标准可建立在概念和逻辑、价值观和意识形态、修辞与叙事以及实践和应用的水平上     

作为程序与属性的论辩术——析当代论证理论中“论辩术”视角的差异解读

当代论证理论中"论辩术"之理论视角存在着两种不同的解读方式。一种以语用论辩术理论为代表,将"论辩术"外化为论证活动的程序与规则,另一种以非形式逻辑理论为代表,将"论辩术"内化为论证成果的属性或品质。对这两种"论辩术"的解析将揭示出语用论辩术与非形式逻辑在规范性理论之建构与情境性实践之关注间的深层差异,同时也展现出其自身在谬误研究及论证界定等当代论证研究议题上的理论潜力。     

A Relational Psychoanalytic Model for Case Management: A Literature Review

Abstract

Relationship building is critical in case management with the seriously mentally ill. A theoretical framework, such as relational psychoanalytic theory, with a strong integrative emphasis provides a structure for the complex interplay of internal and external factors/forces in case management. The purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review in the area of case management: relational psychoanalytic theory, relationship building and psychodynamic theory. The review concludes outlining the appropriateness of this theoretical framework for case management.     

The trajectory of psychoanalysis: A prognosticationy3

I present an overview of the development to this point of psychoanalysis as a discipline'both as a theory of the mind and a treatment of the disorders of the mind' and offer a prediction concerning evolving development over its (near) future. My focus is on the coherence of psychoanalysis as a theoretical structure, starting with Freud's strenuous endeavours to maintain the psychoanalysis that he had single‐handedly created as a unitary and unified theory, tracing then the breakdown of this effort, even in Freud's lifetime, into the burgeoning theoretical diversity or pluralism that characterises worldwide psychoanalysis today, and then going on to the beginning appearance of evidences' not yet widely remarked' of growing convergences from within very disparate and even seemingly very opposed theoretical perspectives, at least at the level of technical interventions and experience‐near clinical theory, with implications, however, even for the level of experience‐distant general (metapsychological) theory. Such a development, if sustained, as I anticipate, would strengthen the credibility of psychoanalysis as a science of the mind, amenable to growth through empirical research in accord with the canons of scientific method.     

从西方理论心理学的崛起看中国理论心理学发展——兼论中国理论心理学建构

心理学能够从对实证资料积累的追求中解放出来,转而注重学科自身的理论反思与理论建构,是心理科学逐渐走向成熟的一种表现。随着西方理论心理学的崛起,中国心理学理论研究也逐渐得到重视,出现很多有价值的理论成果,但在心理学元理论和实体理论的建设上,仍旧过度依赖欧美心理学,原创性的元理论和实体理论几乎没有。在研究的规模、研究领域、研究水准、研究方法乃至研究从业者数量上的差距也使中国理论心理学发展显得步履维艰。然而,西方理论心理学的崛起却可以给中国理论心理学发展带来重要启示,在对中国理论心理学建构过程中,要积极对国外理论心理学的理论思维和理论研究方法进行筛淘,加强原创性的理论建设,处理好理论与实践、引进与创新、反思和建构的关系。     

Talavage's P-model: A translation of Rotter's social learning theory of behavior and its application to a conceptualization of interpersonal distance behavior

The existence of two different approaches to the theoretical understanding of social behavior is noted. The author presents a systems model as offered by Talavage and compares it with Rotter's social learning theory. The efficacy of the systems translation of Rotter's theory for the understanding of simple behavioral responses is discussed and a sample methodology incorporating systems theoretical implications is proposed.