Abstract
A behavioral interpretation of aesthetics will doubtless require a series of successive approximations to reach a wholly satisfactory formulation. The present article is an attempt to refine part of Mechner’s analysis using a more restrictive vocabulary, that of terms that have emerged from the behavioral laboratory. Given the magnitude of the task, the present proposal is confined to aesthetics in literature. Examples and nonexamples are offered to support the proposal that aesthetics in literature entails multiple stimulus control that evokes large jumps in the strength of incipient behavior. This leads in turn to an efflorescence of discriminative and elicited responding that characterizes the subjective aesthetic experience. The terms of this interpretation are taken as partial behavioral translations of Mechner’s concepts of synthetic brew, priming, transformation, and surprise.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
