RESEARCH INTO CHILDREN'S ART PREFERENCES AND THEIR RELATION TO THE ESTHETIC MERIT OF ART AS JUDGED BY EXPERTS WAS DESCRIBED IN THIS REPORT THAT IS MADE UP OF NINE ARTICLES, ORIGINALLY PREPARED FOR PUBLICATION IN SCHOLARLY JOURNALS, AND A SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS. THE GENERAL TOPICS CONSIDERED WERE (1) REASONS CHILDREN GIVE FOR THEIR PREFERENCES, (2) ASSESSMENT OF SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF ESTHETIC VALUE IN VISUAL ART, (3) DETERMINANTS OF CHILDREN'S ART PREFERENCES AND OF THEIR AGREEMENT WITH EXPERT ESTHETIC JUDGEMENT (SENSORY QUALITIES, EMOTIONAL QUALITIES, ABUNDANCE, SIMPLIFICATION), (4) AGE AND SEX DIFFERENCES IN CHILDREN'S COLOR PREFERENCES, AND (5) TRANSCULTURAL COMPARISONS OF ESTHETIC JUDGEMENT AND ART PREFERENCE. FROM THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDIES, THE INVESTIGATORS CONCLUDED THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT (1) ESTHETIC APPRECIATION IS AT LEAST PARTLY BASED ON HUMAN UNIVERSALS RATHER THAN ON ARBITRARY TRADITIONS OF THE CULTURALLY ELITE, AND (2) AN ESTHETIC APPROACH APPEARS NOT TO BE CONGENIAL TO MANY. PERHAPS MOST, PEOPLE. THE AUTHORS SUGGESTED THAT ART EDUCATION IN GENERAL SCHOOLING SHOULD GIVE OPPORTUNITY AND ENCOURAGEMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ESTHETIC APPRECIATION, BUT AT THE SAME TIME SHOULD OFFER OPPORTUNITY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF VERY DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO ART. (AL)