Beyond Prototypicality: Toward a Categorical-Motivation Model of Aesthetics

Abstract

The article comments on the two early stages linking categorization to aesthetics, and introduces a third and unpublished stage. It expands upon a previous attempt (Whitfield, 1983) to reconcile the opposing positions occupied by the categorical and Collative-Motivational models. It does so by recourse to Tversky's (1977) distinction between two forms of feature salience—intensive and diagnostic. Features of high intensive salience should possess high arousal potential, while features of high diagnostic salience should be most prototypic. It postulates that intensive and diagnostic salience will be major determinants of aesthetic preference, and that the contribution of each will be a function of the categorical status—or meaningfulness—of the stimuli. This theoretical reconciliation could be termed a Categorical-Motivation model. Finally, attention is given to fundamental and unresolved problems that have undermined theory construction in the field of experimental aesthetics. These concern the nature of both the stimuli and the response measures typically employed. Questions of ecological validity are raised and the possible reinterpretation of results involving meaningless stimuli.