Emotional reactions to music : Mechanisms and modularity

• The chapter reports an experiment that explored mechanisms underlying emotional reactions to music. Nine musical excerpts, selected to render possible the activation of the mechanisms brain stem reflex, emotional contagion, and musical expectancy, respectively, were played to 30 listeners (aged 21-36 years), who were asked to rate felt emotions on 15 scales. Heart rate and skin conductance were also measured. One half of the participants performed a cognitive task designed to require the listener’s attention while the other half only listened to the music. The results indicated that (a) the mechanisms aroused different emotions as predicted, (b) the task did not diminish or change the listeners’ emotions, confirming the modular nature of the mechanisms, and (c) the listener’s liking of a piece was only moderately related to the quality and quantity of emotion felt. Implications for research on music and emotion are discussed.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Psychology

Psykologi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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