Showing papers in "Psychology of Music in 2017"
TL;DR: This paper investigated the inverted-U model of preference for music as a function of collative variables (especially familiarity and complexity) over the last 115 years and found that while there may be inconsistencies with Berlyne's psychobiological theory from a scientific, arousal-based standpoint, the inverted U model is able to explain a considerable amount of data.
Abstract: This study investigated the inverted-U model of preference for music as a function of collative variables (especially familiarity and complexity) over the last 115 years. The results of 57 studies on music preference were categorized according to their patterns of preference. Fifty of the 57 studies (87.7%) were categorized as compatible with an overarching (segmented) inverted-U model, while the results of five studies (8.8%) were interpreted as mixed, showing both compatible and incompatible results. Two studies (3.5%) were categorized as completely incompatible with the model. In contrast to authors who describe the model as defunct, this review has observed that studies producing results compatible with the inverted-U are still prevalent. We propose that while there may be inconsistencies with Berlyne’s psychobiological theory from a scientific, arousal-based standpoint, the inverted-U model is able to explain a considerable amount of data. Rather, it seems that research interests have moved elsewhere...
97 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the connection between habitual music engagement and subjective wellbeing is explored. But the authors focus on the subjective aspects of music engagement, rather than the emotional aspects of the music itself.
Abstract: Experiencing and engaging with music have been fundamental to all societies across the ages. This study explores the connection between habitual music engagement and subjective wellbeing. Subjectiv...
68 citations
TL;DR: For instance, the authors found that emotional reasons for listening were most frequently used only when the listener was in a negative mood, while listening to cope with a situation or forget problems was associated with negative affec...
Abstract: An important aspect of researching everyday music use is determining the reasons people have for listening to music. While this has been the focus of an extensive body of research, findings have been inconsistent, and the frequencies and affective outcomes of different reasons for listening remain unclear. Emotional reasons for listening are of particular interest, as these have been consistently shown to be of central importance to everyday music use. The current study aimed to provide empirical data to clarify the frequencies of reasons for listening, and their affective outcomes, by using the experience sampling method (ESM). Participants (N = 327; mean age 21.02 years, SD = 6.18) used the MuPsych app, a mobile ESM designed for the real-time and ecologically valid measurement of personal music listening. Results revealed that emotional reasons were most frequently used only when the listener was in a negative mood. Listening to cope with a situation or forget problems was associated with negative affec...
59 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the PERMA model was used to track enhancers and challenges for wellbeing in relation to the model's five components: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment.
Abstract: Recognizing the need to include musicians in mainstream wellbeing profiling and to move beyond a focus on debilitating factors of the music profession, this study aimed to understand how professional musicians experience wellbeing in the light of Positive Psychology. Guided by the PERMA model, the goal was to track enhancers and challenges for wellbeing in relation to the model’s five components: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment. Participants included six professional musicians from six activities: solo, orchestral, choral, chamber, conducting and composing. Two interviews were conducted with each participant, separated by two weeks of diary record-keeping. Results point to high wellbeing. A clear sense of self appears as an overarching sustainer of wellbeing and the transition to professional life as the most challenging time regarding musicians’ flourishing. Positive emotions emerged as highly related to musical moments, while varying repertoire and experiencing d...
58 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate, describe and understand the developmental function (musical and social/emotional) of nine toddlers' private spontaneous songs between the initial intervie...
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate, describe and understand the developmental function (musical and social/emotional) of nine toddlers’ private spontaneous songs. Between the initial intervie...
43 citations
TL;DR: This article found that openness to experience positively predicted preferences for reflective-complex (RC) and intense-rebellious (IR) music and was inversely related to upbeat-conventional (UC; e.g., country/pop) music.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether uses of music partially mediate the link between personality and music preference. Undergraduate students (N = 122) completed the following scales: The Brief Big Five Inventory, The Uses of Music Inventory, The Short Test of Music Preference, The Life Orientation Test Revised, The Beck Depression Inventory, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Openness to experience positively predicted preferences for reflective-complex (RC; e.g., jazz/blues) and intense-rebellious (IR; e.g., rock/metal) music and was inversely related to upbeat-conventional (UC; e.g., country/pop) music, whereas extraversion was positively related to preferences for energetic-rhythmic (ER; e.g., rap/soul) and UC genres. A link between trait optimism and ER music preference was fully mediated by the more prominent extraversion trait. The relationship between openness to experience and RC music preference was partially mediated by cognitive uses of music, with a marginally significant analysis...
42 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of a short-term preschool music program with creativity, bimanual gross motor training, and vocal development on preschool children's inhibition were examined, and the results showed that the effect of the music program on the inhibition of children was not significant.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a short-term preschool music program with creativity, bimanual gross motor training, and vocal development on preschool children’s inhibition...
40 citations
TL;DR: This article found that singing together encourages faster social bonding to a group compared with other activities, but it is unknown whether this group-level bonding is associated with differences in the ties formed between individual singers and individuals engaging in other activities (relational bonding).
Abstract: Although it has been shown that singing together encourages faster social bonding to a group compared with other activities, it is unknown whether this group-level “collective” bonding is associated with differences in the ties formed between individual singers and individuals engaging in other activities (“relational” bonding). Here we present self-report questionnaire data collected at three time points over the course of seven months from weekly singing and non-singing (creative writing and crafts) adult education classes. We compare the proportion of classmates with whom participants were connected and the social network structure between the singing and non-singing classes. Both singers and creative writers show a steeper increase over time in relational bonding measured by social network density and the proportion of their classmates that they could name, felt connected with, and talked to during class compared to crafters, but only the singers show rapid collective bonding to the class-group as a w...
38 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a study aimed at determining whether adolescents and young adults use music as an agent of consolation when dealing with daily sorrow and stress, found that slightly over 69% reported that they used music as a source of consolation, and female respondents and respondents with higher levels of anxiousness/depression and lower levels of aggression sought consolation more often.
Abstract: This study aimed at determining whether adolescents and young adults use music as an agent of consolation when dealing with daily sorrow and stress. We furthermore tested whether three aspects of music listening, i.e., the music itself, its lyrics, and experiences of closeness to artists and fans, were experienced as comforting. Third, we explored whether consolation through music listening was related to music use and psychological problems. Overall, 1,040 respondents, age 13–30 years (M = 20.3, 70.7% female), responded to items measuring listening hours, music importance, music preferences, positive and negative affects elicited by music (PANAS), internalizing and externalizing problems, and consolation through music. Slightly over 69% reported that they (definitely) use music as a source of consolation. Furthermore, female respondents and respondents with higher levels of anxiousness/depression and lower levels of aggression sought consolation by music more often. The same result emerged for respondent...
36 citations
TL;DR: This paper assessed music performance anxiety (MPA) in ensemble rehearsals and concerts in 278 undergraduate non-music and music majors drawn from 10 Mid-Atlantic institutions in the US to examine...
Abstract: This study assessed music performance anxiety (MPA) in ensemble rehearsals and concerts in 278 undergraduate non-music and music majors drawn from 10 Mid-Atlantic institutions in the US to examine ...
30 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the hypothesis that listening to music from a specific culture can evoke implicit affiliation towards members of that culture more generally, and hypothesized that listeners with high trait empathy would be more susceptible to the effects.
Abstract: Recent empirical evidence suggests that – like other synchronized, collective actions – making music together with others fosters affiliation and pro-social behaviour. However, it is not yet known whether these effects are limited to active, interpersonal musical participation, or whether solitary music listening can also produce similar effects. This study examines the hypothesis that listening to music from a specific culture can evoke implicit affiliation towards members of that culture more generally. Furthermore, we hypothesized that listeners with high trait empathy would be more susceptible to the effects. Sixty-one participants listened to a track of either Indian or West African popular music, and subsequently completed an Implicit Association Test measuring implicit preference for Indian versus West African people. A significant interaction effect revealed that listeners with high trait empathy were more likely to display an implicit preference for the ethnic group to whose music they were expos...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider what particular features are significant predictors of whether music is present in a given situation, as well as what factors influence a person's music preference.
Abstract: The aim of the present research was to consider what particular features are significant predictors of whether music is present in a given situation, as well as what factors influence a person’s ju...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used the Networked Flow (NF) model to investigate group collaboration in the context of musical bands and analyzed the relationship between flow, social presence, structural dy...
Abstract: This study aimed at using the Networked Flow (NF) model to investigate group collaboration in the context of musical bands. We analyzed the relationship between flow, social presence, structural dy...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the results of a study carried out on a sample of music performance anxiety patients who make public appearances and report that they are often encountered among professionals and students.
Abstract: Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a phenomenon often encountered among professionals and students who make public appearances. This article presents the results of a study carried out on a sample ...
TL;DR: The results show that while simulation was new to the musicians and individual levels of immersion differed, the musicians saw benefits in the approach for developing, experimenting with and enhancing their performance skills.
Abstract: This article was published in Psychology of Music on 16 September 2016 (online), available at https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735616666940
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the performance preferences of listeners without formal training in music and found that the quality of the performance (as represented by the status of the performer), the order of presentation of the performances, and extrinsic information about the performance impacted preferences.
Abstract: This study investigated the performance preferences of listeners without formal training in music. Specifically, it asked whether the quality of the performance (as represented by the status of the performer), the order of presentation of the performances, and extrinsic information about the quality of the performance impacted preferences. In Experiment 1, participants heard pairs of performances of solo piano music and were informed that one was played by a conservatory student, and one by a world-renowned professional. After each pair, they selected the one they thought had been performed by the professional. Their responses seem to have been driven by a combination of a preference for the performance actually played by the professional and a preference for the second performance in the pair. In Experiment 2, they heard the same performance pairs, but this time were informed, correctly or incorrectly, before each performance whether it was played by a student or by a professional. After each pair, they ...
TL;DR: A systematic literature review identified 20 studies between 1970 and 2014 focusing on the role of contingent and non-contingent background music to facilitate task engagement, enhance performance, and alter behavior.
Abstract: Currently, there is a growing body of empirical research regarding the role of background music in the education of individuals with disabilities. A systematic literature review identified 20 studies between 1970 and 2014 focusing on the role of contingent and noncontingent background music to facilitate task engagement, enhance performance, and alter behavior. Though the research addressing background music has mixed results, there is evidence suggesting that this could be an effective strategy for increasing task engagement and performance and decreasing stimulatory behavior for individuals with developmental disabilities. Since music can be considered inexpensive and may be less intrusive in comparison to other strategies, its use merits additional study to explore how and to what extent music affects behavior.
TL;DR: In this article, a brief group intervention using music listening to teach young people emotional awareness and regulation skills is presented, underpinned by a two-dimensional (valence and arousal) model of emotion and activities.
Abstract: This article presents a description and pilot evaluation of Tuned In, a brief group intervention using music listening to teach young people emotional awareness and regulation skills. The program is underpinned by a two-dimensional (valence and arousal) model of emotion and activities to enhance participants’ emotional responses while listening to music. The four-session program was piloted with 51 university students aged 18–25 years (67% female). Approximately a third of the sample was above the normal range for depression, anxiety or stress symptoms. Participants were randomly assigned to Tuned In or a wait-list control. Tuned In involved groups of around eight participants with two psychologist facilitators. Tuned In participants experienced greater improvement in emotional awareness and clarity and total emotion regulation than controls. Weekly ratings pooled for the entire sample (after the wait-listed participants had completed Tuned In) indicated significant improvements over time in emotional awa...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored practice strategies used during at-home practice of nine intermediate-level teenaged piano students over a two-month period, where they recorded three videos of themselves practicing and triangulated from coded video, teacher interviews, and student questionnaires regarding practice habits, strategy use, and perceived challenges.
Abstract: Professional musicians employ self-regulation and deliberate practice strategies when learning music. Although self-regulation is difficult for beginners, presumably students practice deliberately as music becomes more difficult and they develop musical skills. It is not clear to what extent intermediate piano students self-regulate during learning. This study explored practice strategies used during at-home practice of nine intermediate-level teenaged piano students. Over a two-month period, piano students recorded three videos of themselves practicing. Data were triangulated from coded video, teacher interviews, and student questionnaires regarding practice habits, strategy use, and perceived challenges. Students regularly practiced under less-than-ideal circumstances and had limited attention spans, but skill level was not an indicator of self-regulation. Nine practice strategies were observed and reportedly employed. While six of the students mostly played through repertoire, three participants were m...
TL;DR: In this article, a field experiment was conducted to test whether people exposed to music with prosocial lyrics engaged in more prosocial behavior by buying more fair trade products compared to regular products than did those exposed to songs with neutral lyrics.
Abstract: A significant amount of existing research has dealt with the negative effects of music on people’s behavior, but only a few studies have shown that music with prosocial lyrics can increase prosocial behavior. This study focuses on the positive effects of music with prosocial lyrics on people in an everyday setting. Based on the general learning model, a field experiment (N = 256, 66% female) was conducted to test whether people exposed to music with prosocial lyrics engaged in more prosocial behavior by buying more fair trade products compared to regular products than did those exposed to songs with neutral lyrics. Guests of a cafe were randomly assigned to either the prosocial or the neutral music condition and were monitored by two observers who were instructed to report the prosocial purchase (of fair trade coffee) and tipping behavior of the guests. The results indicated that there is a significant positive association between prosocial behavior and the prosocial lyrics of the songs played. The study ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assess the affective connotations of 120 musical stimuli and find that music has a strong effect on affective states and that musical stimuli can modify affective state.
Abstract: It is well recognised in psychology that music has affective connotations and that musical stimuli can modify affective states The aim of this study was to assess the affective connotations of 120
TL;DR: This study demonstrates the contribution of the performance setting and the performers’ appearance and nonverbal expression to emotion induction by music, encouraging further systematic research into the factors involved.
Abstract: In this work, we compared emotions induced by the same performance of Schubert Lieder during a live concert and in a laboratory viewing/listening setting to determine the extent to which laboratory research on affective reactions to music approximates real listening conditions in dedicated performances We measured emotions experienced by volunteer members of an audience that attended a Lieder recital in a church (Context 1) and emotional reactions to an audio-video-recording of the same performance in a university lecture hall (Context 2) Three groups of participants were exposed to three presentation versions in Context 2: (1) an audio-visual recording, (2) an audio-only recording, and (3) a video-only recording Participants achieved statistically higher levels of emotional convergence in the live performance than in the laboratory context, and the experience of particular emotions was determined by complex interactions between auditory and visual cues in the performance This study demonstrates the contribution of the performance setting and the performers' appearance and nonverbal expression to emotion induction by music, encouraging further systematic research into the factors involved
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assessed the visual-spatial sequence learning and memory abilities of long-term musicians and found that musicians performed better than non-musicians on visual and nonverbal reasoning measures.
Abstract: Previous research has shown that musicians have enhanced visual-spatial abilities and sensorymotor skills. As a result of their long-term musical training and their experience-dependent activities, musicians may learn to associate sensory information with fine motor movements. Playing a musical instrument requires musicians to rapidly translate musical symbols into specific sensory-motor actions while also simultaneously monitoring the auditory signals produced by their instrument. In this study, we assessed the visual-spatial sequence learning and memory abilities of long-term musicians. We recruited 24 highly trained musicians and 24 nonmusicians, individuals with little or no musical training experience. Participants completed a visual-spatial sequence learning task as well as receptive vocabulary, nonverbal reasoning, and short-term memory tasks. Results revealed that musicians have enhanced visual-spatial sequence learning abilities relative to nonmusicians. Musicians also performed better than nonmusicians on the vocabulary and nonverbal reasoning measures. Additional analyses revealed that the large group difference observed on the visualspatial sequencing task between musicians and nonmusicians remained even after controlling for vocabulary, nonverbal reasoning, and short-term memory abilities. Musicians' improved visualspatial sequence learning may stem from basic underlying differences in visual-spatial and sensorymotor skills resulting from long-term experience and activities associated with playing a musical instrument.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors asked music students to report what they think and where they focus attention in three situations: when they play under pressure, the moment just before choking under pressure and when they try to recover after a mistake.
Abstract: Musicians often play under circumstances in which pressure may lead to anxiety and performance deterioration. Theories suggest that a drop in performance is due to a shift in focus of attention towards task-irrelevant information. In this study, we asked music students to report what they think and where they focus attention in three situations: when they play under pressure (Study 1; n = 81), the moment just before choking under pressure and when they try to recover after a mistake (Study 2; n = 25). Focus of attention was examined using retrospective verbal reports and point-spread distributions. Besides a notable focus on music-related information (36.9%), music students reported a considerable number of worries and disturbing thoughts (26.1%) during playing under pressure (Study 1). Just before choking, they showed even more worries and disturbing thoughts (46.4%) at the cost of music-related focus (21.1%) (Study 2), as also confirmed by the point-spread distributions. During recovery after a mistake,...
TL;DR: Both classical and heavy metal musicians differed significantly in personality from the norms, having higher scores on extraversion, agreeableness, and especially intellect.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare personality traits using the Big Five personality taxonomy and alcohol consumption of classical and heavy metal musicians. Also, we compared personality traits of classical and heavy metal musicians with norms for the Croatian population, and data on alcohol consumption with a representative sample of the general Croatian population. Participants in the study were men (N = 249) playing either classical (N = 113) or heavy metal music (N = 136). Personality was measured with the IPIP-50 personality questionnaire and participants answered several questions about alcohol consumption. We found no significant differences in personality traits between classical and heavy metal musicians, but both classical and heavy metal musicians differed significantly in personality from the norms, having higher scores on extraversion, agreeableness, and especially intellect. Belonging to a heavy metal musicians group was associated with consuming alcohol more often. Also, frequency of...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated whether there were gender differences in the amount of practice undertaken by boys and girls, the practice strategies adopted and motivation to practice, and found that there was a gender difference in the number of practice sessions performed by both genders.
Abstract: This research aimed to consider whether there were gender differences in the amount of practice undertaken by boys and girls, the practice strategies adopted and motivation to practise. A sample of...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare simple and complex metrical scales in Turkish and American music, and find that Turkish music is characterized primarily by simple meters, but a number of other musical cultures, including Turkish, have complex meters.
Abstract: Western music is characterized primarily by simple meters, but a number of other musical cultures, including Turkish, have both simple and complex meters. In Experiment 1, Turkish and American adul...
TL;DR: A scarcity of generalisable quantitative research and credible qualitative research is identified indicating a distinct need for robust future investigation in this pertinent area of research.
Abstract: The aim of this review was to identify possible positive health and wellbeing outcomes of participatory music activities for culturally and linguistically diverse people who could be described as vulnerable or “at risk” in particular migrant populations. Nine databases were searched spanning 10 years (2002–2013). The search returned 977 results with 45 articles reviewed. Seven articles met the inclusion criteria with most studies involving adolescents. Despite the reported health outcomes the review identified a scarcity of generalisable quantitative research (n = 2) and credible qualitative research (n = 5) indicating a distinct need for robust future investigation in this pertinent area of research.
TL;DR: The authors investigated the generality of this association by presenting undergraduates who had received musical training (n = 20) and undergraduates with no formal music training with four types of word lists; high visual images, high auditory imagery, high tactile imagery, and abstract.
Abstract: Previous research has shown that musical training is associated with enhanced verbal memory. The current study investigated the generality of this association by presenting undergraduates who had received musical training (n = 20) and undergraduates with no formal music training (n = 20) with four types of word list; high visual imagery, high auditory imagery, high tactile imagery, and abstract. Those who had received music training showed enhanced memory for all word lists, suggesting that music training leads to a general enhancement in verbal memory that is not restricted to specific types of words (e.g., those invoking auditory imagery). The findings support previous research in showing that music training enhances cognitive skills beyond those that are specific to the domain of music. The possible cognitive and neural factors underpinning this effect are discussed.
TL;DR: In daily contexts, coping with stressful events involves a great level of personal resources to recover baseline conditions efficiently, a process called stress recovery as discussed by the authors, a process which is referred to as stress recovery.
Abstract: In daily contexts, coping with stressful events involves a great level of personal resources to recover baseline conditions efficiently, a process called stress recovery. The aim of this study was ...