Final answer:
Experimental research in the arts combines empirical evidence and feelings/personal values, with empirical evidence acquired through experimental methods contributing to our understanding of subjective experiences in the arts.
Step-by-step explanation:
Experimental research in the arts and humanities often involves gathering empirically observable evidence, much like it's done in hard sciences. Yet, it also engages with feelings and personal values, because the arts inherently involve human experiences and subjective interpretation. Experimental philosophy bridges both aspects by using experimental methods to investigate traditional philosophical questions, leading to empirical evidence that must be replicable and fall within psychological or biological theories. When it comes to affecting an animal's behavior, an experiential factor would be based on the animal's direct experiences or interactions with its environment, which could be identified and tested through such experimental research methods. This approach is aligned with empiricism, which emphasizes the importance of evidence gathered from experiments and observations in the natural world.
Contrasts between empirical observations and deductive reasoning, lab-based and natural experiments, as well as the intersection of philosophical investigation with scientific research, highlight the nuanced relationship between the empirical and experiential components of research. Furthermore, research in the arts may draw upon empirical evidence while also leveraging subjective, experiential insights to create a richer understanding of a given piece of art or musical work, as experience and emotional response are often significant in the arts.