Art is a unique feature of human experience. It involves the complex interplay among stimuli, persons, and contexts. Lfsing structural equation modeling, we explored this complex interplay by analyzing expertise-related differences in the aesthetic appreciation of classical, abstract, and modem artworks. We measured liking, elicited emotions, arousal, and comprehension, and compared structural equation solutions for 2 groups of students with higher and lower levels of art expertise. Experts and nonexperts not only revealed strong effects of emotion in all conditions, but also confirmed that the intercorrelations between emotion and understanding were consistently higher for nonexperts. Moreover, experts generally provided higher ratings on nearly all scales. These results reflect experts' greater flexibility and differentiation in art appreciation.

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In a longitudinal study the development of reading and spelling abilities of 458 Viennese school children from the second until the eighth grade was analysed Although the students' /evel ofperformancedisplayed a great consistency with poor readers and spellers retaining their weaknesses, groups of students whose performance either improved or deteriorated with time were also identified. Not only cognitive prerequisites, but a/so the classroom behavior of the students and social factors proved to be significant for the long-term prognosis.

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