The International Association of Empirical Aesthetics (IAEA)

Abstract

The International Association of Empirical Aesthetics (IAEA) was founded on the occasion of the first international congress in Paris (1965), by Prof. Dr. Daniel Berlyne (University of Toronto, Canada), Prof. Dr. Robert Frances (Universite de Paris, France), Prof. Dr. Carmelo Genovese (Universita di Bologna, Italia), and Prof. Dr. Albert Wellek (Johann-Gutenberg-Universitat Mainz, Germany). The field of experimental aesthetics can be traced back to Gustav Theodor Fechner the founder not only of psychophysics but also of experimental aesthetics. He introduced the experimental method into the investigation of aesthetic phenomena (see his famous work on the golden section hypothesis*). Thus, experimental aesthetics is the second oldest field of scientific psychology! From the list of names above, it is obvious that the IAEA was founded as a union of psychologists. Although there are members from fields other than psychology, the psychologists clearly make up the most important group. As the main concern of IAEA is the aesthetic experience of human beings, all fields of aesthetics from the visual arts to music and literature, as well as applied aesthetics are included in the IAEA's interests. The aims of the association are (a) to investigate the conditions, factors, and consequences of aesthetic experiences and behaviors using scientific methods and (b) to enhance scientific activities and exchange in the field of empirical aesthetics. All studies which apply scientific (i. e., empirical or experimental) methods in the investigation of aesthetic phenomena are welcome; theoretical approaches are of relevance, too, of course. Organization