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Despina Stamatopoulou

Associate Professor of Psychology

Office: 006
Office hours: Tuesday 15:00-17.00, Wednesday 09:30-11:00
Phone: 28310 77232
Email: stamatop@phl.uoc.gr
Printable CV (.pdf)

Curriculum Vitae


Education

  • B.A., University of Athens, Athens, Greece. School of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Education and Psychology Major Psychology; First Class Honors) , 1984-1988
  • Ph.D., University of Bristol, Bristol, U.K. (Social Psychology), 1989-1994
    Major subject: Aesthetic Experience and Self-Esteem
    Thesis Supervisor: P.W. Robinson; Internal: N. Freeman; External: D. Fontana
  • M.A., Institute of Education, University College, Department of Arts and Design in Education, London, U.K. (Artistic Communication: Dissertation Advisor: Roy Prentice), 1994-1995

Other  training

  • Certificate in Life-drawing and Engraving, School of Art and Design British Royal Academy of Arts,  Filton College, Bristol, U.K., 1991-1992

Teaching and Research Experience

  • 2017—present Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Social Studies School of Philosophy, University of Crete
  • 2016 June-July Visiting Research Scholarship at Kansai University, Japan
  • 2009 March-June Visiting Research Scholar at Lehigh University, Department of Psychology, Bethlehem, PA, USA
  • 2007—2016 Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Social Studies School of Philosophy, University of Crete, (2011 tenure).
  • 2000—present   Lecturer, Department of Philosophy and Social Studies, School of Philosophy, University of Crete
  • 2002—2003     Visiting Fellowship, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE),  Department of Human Development & Applied Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada. (advisor Prof. Keith Oatley)
  • 1997—2000     Temporary Lecturer, Department of Philosophy and Social Studies, School of Philosophy, University of Crete, Greece
  • 1996—1997     Temporary Lecturer, Department of Education, University of Thessalia,
  • 1994—1995    Post-Doctoral Fellow & Visiting Research Associate,University of Warwick, Department of Arts Education, Program: Arts Education & Cultural Studies.
  • 1993—1994     Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, University of Bristol, U.K.

Research Interests

  • Psychology of emotions: cultural diversity and universal structures
  • Psychology of Self—experiential self
  • Psychology of arts/aesthetic experience and creativity
  • Artistic communication and expressivity in art
  • Drawing and aesthetic development

Publications (selected)

Journal Articles

  • Stamatopoulou, D., Lang, J., & Cupchik, G.  (2019). Empathy, awe and the sublime: Where aesthetics and ethics meet in experience. In Albert K. Bach (Editor), Empathy: Past, Present and Future Perspectives, pp. 197-266. Series: Psychology of Emotions, Motivations and Actions BISAC: PSY013000. Publishers: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Stamatopoulou, D. (2018). Empathy and the aesthetic: why does art still move us? For the special Issue “From ‘Einfϋhlung’ to empathy” of Cognitive-Processing—International Quarterly of Cognitive Science, 19(2),141-145.
  • Stamatopoulou, D., & Cupchik G.  (2017). The feeling of the form: style as dynamic textured expression.  Art & Perception, 5(3), 262-298. 
  • Stamatopoulou, D., Cupchik, G., Amemiya T., Hilscher, M., & Miyahara, T. (2016).  A Background Layer in Aesthetic Experience: Cross-cultural Affective Symbolism. Japanese Psychological Research, 58, 233-247.
  • Stamatopoulou, D. (in press).Perception of emotional expression in line-drawings created by
    artists. Hellenic Journal of Psychology.
  • Stamatopoulou, D., & Saxaridou, D. (in press). The development of aesthetic sensitivity to style in preschoolers regarding modern art paintings: issues related to aesthetic education.  Art in Early Childhood Research Journal.
  • Stamatopoulou, D. (2007). Embodied imagination: Emotional expression perception of
    dynamic line-drawings created by artists. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, Vol 26 (3), 213-248. 
  • Stamatopoulou, D. (2004). Integrating the philosophy and psychology of aesthetic
    experience: Development of a scale measuring aesthetic experience, Psychological Reports, 95, 673-695.
  • Stamatopoulou, D., & Kyrkoulis, G. (2004). The role of athletic activities in the
    construction of identity as an intervention strategy to rehabilitation centre for addicts. Current issues, (Greek interdisciplinary journal), vol.27(85), 67-77.

Books & Book Chapters

  • Cupchik, G., Stamatopoulou, D., &   Duan  S. (forthcoming). Finding elusive resonance across culture time and space. In P. Vorderer  (Editor), THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF ENTERTAINMENT THEORY.  Oxfrod, UK: The Oxford University Press.
  • Stamatopoulou, D. (2007). Mimesis as an embodied imaginative act and the paradox of
    Tragedy: Implications for the role of negative emotions in art and empathic morality.
    In L. Singel (Ed.), Philosophy and Ethics: New Research, pp. 171-218. New York: Nova  Science Publishers.
  • Saxaridou, D., & Stamatopoulou, D. (in press). The development of sensitivity to style in pre-
    schoolers (in Greek). In M. Pourkos (Ed.), Art, Psychology and Education: The psychological role of arts. Athens: Atrapos Publishers. (in Greek)
  • Stamatopoulou, S. D. (1998).Aesthetic cultivation and expressive behavior of Preschoolers.
    Athens: Kastaniotis Press. (in Greek) 
  • Stamatopoulou, S. D. (1997). Meaning and Art. Athens: Courier Press
    EPE. (in Greek)

Articles published in Conference Proceedings

  • Stamatopoulou, D. (2006). The linkage of emotion, perception and action in artistic
    communication: artists’ vs. non-artists’ emotional expression perception of dynamic line-drawings. In H. Gottesdiener  &  J., Vilatte (Eds.), Culture and Communication: Proceedings of the XIX Congress of the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics,  (pp. 521-526). Avignon, August, 2006. 
  • Stamatopoulou, D. (2005). The language of emotions and the language of arts: paradoxically 
    cultural and human. In Proceedings of the International Congress on Aesthetics, Psychology of arts and Creativity (pp. 214-217).  Perm, Russia, June 2005: Institute of arts and culture. ISBN 5-89357-205-X 
  • Stamatopoulou, D. (2003): Children’s scribbles as an exemplar hypothesis of the “embodied
    mind” (Brief Report).  Consciousness & Experiential Psychology, 2003, No 9, 16-17.  ISSN 1462 6039. http. www.warwick.ac.uk/cep/seventh_annual_conference.html
  • Stamatopoulou, D. (2002). Aristotle on emotions as objects of aesthetic pleasure.  Paper
    presented at the 8th International Congress of International Society for the Empirical Studies of Literatute, University of Pecs, August, 2002, Hungary. [on-line paper]: http:www.btk.pte.hu/igel/igel.html  & http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/igel/IGEL2002/Proceedings.htm

Articles under review & papers in preparation

  • Stamatopoulou, D. (submitted, under revision). Children’s scribbles: A microgenetic case-
    study examination of the transition to symbolic communication in making-marks activities”. Developmental Processes. 
  • Stamatopoulou, D., & Cupchik, G. (in preperation). Revisiting an old idea: The evaluation,
    activity and potency dimensions as predictors of emotion recognition of emotional expression in artistic line-drawings. (to be submitted: Perceptual and Motor Skills). 

Recent Presentations

  • Stamatopoulou, D. (August, 2007). On the dual nature of touch: Developmental trends
    regarding the imaginary visualization of tactile experience across conditions differentiated in the foci of experience. 13th European Conference on Developmental Psychology, Jena, Germany.              
  • Sacharidou, D., & Stamatopoulou, D. (February, 2007).The development of aesthetic
    sensitivity to style in preschoolers regarding modern art paintings. Paper presented at the 2nd International Conference Art in Early Childhood. Australia.
  • Stamatopoulou, D. (August, 2006). The linkage of emotion, perception and action in artistic
    communication: artists’ vs. non-artists’ emotional expression perception of dynamic line-drawings. Paper presented at the XIX Congress of the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics, Avignon, France.
  • Kyrkoulis, G., & Stamatopoulou, D. (July, 2006). Interpersonal relations, strategies of cope-
    with and mental health of individuals in therapeutic programs. Paper presented at the International Conference of the International Association for Relationships Research, Crete, Greece.