The dimensions of aesthetic preference: A quantitative analysis
| Authors: | Paul H. H. Gobster, Richard E. Chenoweth |
| Year: | 1989 |
| Type: | Scientific Journal |
| Station: | Northern Research Station |
| Source: | Journal of Environmental Management |
Abstract
The current state of landscape research does not clearly direct environmental managers toward the appropriate choice of terminology to characterize and assess the aesthetic quality of particular landscape types. This study examined the ability of physical, artistic, and psychological descriptor dimensions to predict aesthetic preferences for rural river, forest, and agricultural landscape scenes. Multidimensional scaling analyses were used to identify the salient dimensions subjects used to express their aesthetic preferences for scenes within each type; these dimensions were interpreted quantitatively through correlations with sets of descriptor rating scales. The results generally showed a strong commonality in the dimensions of preference across landscape types, but also pointed to the uniqueness within landscapes. Implications are drawn for the development of theory and improvement of applied methods of aesthetic assessment.