The Visual Aesthetic Sensitivity Test Applied to Portuguese Children and Fine Arts Students

Abstract

The Visual Aesthetic Sensitivity Test (VAST; Goetz, 1985) was administered to 722 male and female children between the ages of 10 and 15 and 58 fine arts students. Also administered to the children only were Raven's Progressive Matrices and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (H.J Eysenck & S.B.G. Eysenck, 1975). VAST scores increased with age up to 14, but not beyond; sex had little influence. IQ accounted for only 10% of the VAST variance. Personality failed to correlate with VAST scores, and artistic training had no effect on VAST scores. The test scores were reasonably reliable (r = .70), but skewed to the right, with a long tail of low scores. Difficulty levels were similar to those observed in other countries and cultures.