The present doctoral thesis outlines a new model in psychological aesthetics, named the Information-Load Model. This model asserts that aesthetic appreciation is grounded in the relationship between the amount of information of stimuli and people’s capacity to process this information. This relationship results in information load, which in turn creates emotional responses to stimuli. Aesthetic appreciation corresponds to an optimal degree of information load. Initially, the optimal degree is relatively low. As an individual learns to master information in a domain (e.g., photography), the degree of information load, which corresponds to aesthetic appreciation, increases. The present doctoral thesis is based on three empirical papers that explored what factors determine aesthetic appreciation of photographs and soundscapes. Experiment 1 of Paper I involved 34 psychology undergraduates and 564 photographs of various motifs. It resulted in a set of 189 adjectives related to the degree of aesthetic appreciation of photographs. The subsequent experiments employed attribute scales that were derived from this set of adjectives. In Experiment 2 of Paper I, 100 university students scaled 50 photographs on 141 attribute scales. Similarly, in Paper II, 100 university students scaled 50 soundscapes on 116 attribute scales. In Paper III, 10 psychology undergraduates and 5 photo professionals scaled 32 photographs on 27 attribute scales. To explore the underlying structure of the data sets, they were subjected to Multidimensional Scaling and Principal Components Analyses. Four general components, related to aesthetic appreciation, were found: Familiarity, Hedonic Tone, Expressiveness, and Uncertainty. These components result from the higher-order latent factor Information Load that underlies aesthetic appreciation.

In this thesis I argue in favour of student-oriented education for China based on the educational philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead. Whiteheads educational thought, while Western in origin, has a strong appeal for Chinese educators because of its openness to other cultural traditions.<p> My own experience as a student and teacher, coupled with a general review of the history of education in China, shows how education is, and has been, exclusively defined by students success in exams. This approach, which I refer to as test-oriented education, is problematical because, by overemphasizing students performance in exams, it abstracts learning from their experience. The result is that learning becomes boring and useless to most students, and they do not see the relevance of education to life.<p> In contrast, Whitehead proposes that education be based on students rich experience and that its aim should be their full self-development as beings imbued with body, mind and spirit. I refer to this approach as student-oriented education, and I believe it would provide more humane, well-rounded, and culturally appropriate forms of learning to Chinese students. More specifically, Whiteheads protest against inert ideas underlines the importance of two key concepts in education, namely the interest of students and the usefulness of knowledge. Second, his conception of learning, or the rhythm of education, works as a guide in making education interesting and useful. Third, his account of technical education helps to restore a balance between abstraction and concreteness, precision and romance, discipline and freedom, education and life, and his insights on arts and aesthetic appreciation strengthen the life of the spirit by directing students attention to the value and beauty in their lives. Finally, his advocacy of a balanced education enables a balanced development of students by paying equal attention to their bodily feelings, spiritual cultivation, and intellectual capabilities. In this manner, education can evoke into life wisdom and beauty which otherwise would remain lost in the past.

In this thesis I argue in favour of student-oriented education for China based on the educational philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead. Whiteheads educational thought, while Western in origin, has a strong appeal for Chinese educators because of its openness to other cultural traditions.<p> My own experience as a student and teacher, coupled with a general review of the history of education in China, shows how education is, and has been, exclusively defined by students success in exams. This approach, which I refer to as test-oriented education, is problematical because, by overemphasizing students performance in exams, it abstracts learning from their experience. The result is that learning becomes boring and useless to most students, and they do not see the relevance of education to life.<p> In contrast, Whitehead proposes that education be based on students rich experience and that its aim should be their full self-development as beings imbued with body, mind and spirit. I refer to this approach as student-oriented education, and I believe it would provide more humane, well-rounded, and culturally appropriate forms of learning to Chinese students. More specifically, Whiteheads protest against inert ideas underlines the importance of two key concepts in education, namely the interest of students and the usefulness of knowledge. Second, his conception of learning, or the rhythm of education, works as a guide in making education interesting and useful. Third, his account of technical education helps to restore a balance between abstraction and concreteness, precision and romance, discipline and freedom, education and life, and his insights on arts and aesthetic appreciation strengthen the life of the spirit by directing students attention to the value and beauty in their lives. Finally, his advocacy of a balanced education enables a balanced development of students by paying equal attention to their bodily feelings, spiritual cultivation, and intellectual capabilities. In this manner, education can evoke into life wisdom and beauty which otherwise would remain lost in the past.

The topic of this diploma thesis is the matter of the role of imagination in aesthetic appreciation of nature. Starting points of the inquiry are the concepts of Ronald W. Hepburn, Emily Brady, Marcia Muelder Eaton and others. This work tries to show, in spite of the divergencies of views that the philosophers hold, not only the differences but also similarities of their apprehensions of the role of imagination in aesthetic appreciation of nature. The aim of the thesis is among others to answer the following questions: What are the modes of imaginative activity relating to aesthetic object? What is the difference between execution of imagination in aesthetic experiencing of nature and in experiencing works of art? What is the role of exercise of imagination in developing and preserving sustainable environments? Is the cooperation of imaginative model and science- based model of aesthetic appreciation of nature possible? The first part of the work concerns the presentation of relevant approaches. The second part compares different understandings of the role of imagination in aesthetic appreciation of nature and it answers the question of how imagination relates to the discussed aesthetic object. The following parts of the work focus on answering above-mentioned questions.