Instrument Development for Esthetic Perception Assessment

Abstract. Esthetic perception theories postulate several psychological dimensions, such as emotional, cognitive, and self-congruent processes, in the reception of visual arts stimuli. A diagnostic instrument, the Survey for the Assessment of Aesthetic Perception (SAAP), was developed in the German language to empirically assess these dimensions. Subsequently, the SAAP was implemented in two empirical studies, drawing on paintings and sculptures as visual arts stimuli. These studies provided evidence for construct validity, specifically factorial validity; the three esthetic processes of cognition, emotion, and self-congruency were distinguished. Also, internal consistency and test-retest reliability showed the SAAP to be strongly reliable. In sum, these results provide initial support toward the adequacy of the SAAP's psychometric properties.