In the Aesthetics and Learning lab, we aim to understand how aesthetic experiences can be a source of learning and what can be learned from aesthetic experience.

The lab takes a blended approach that aims to transfer findings from controlled experimental laboratory settings to ecologically valid real-life informal learning settings with a particular focus on museums. The lab uses a variety of methods (e.g. eye-tracking, VR) covering the entire continuum from computer-based tasks to real-life engagement.

Our aim is to uncover generalisable patterns and to understand which factors (e.g. the type of media people engage with) can influence and shape both the aesthetic experience and the learning process. We use a broad conceptualisation of learning that does not focus exclusively on knowledge transfer but also considers e.g., sense-making, experience-based learning, epistemic emotions and episodic memories.