Age Changes in the Ability to Interpret Affect in Sung and Instrumentally-Presented Melodies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the age at which children begin to recognise the affective qualities in sung and instrumentally-presented melodies. Four, seven, and nine-year-old children who had been pretested for comprehension of emotional concepts listened to melodies that had been rated by adults as either (1) happy, (2) sad, (3) angry, or (4) frightened- sounding. The melodies were presented in two modalities: soprano voice singing nonsense syllables, and viola. Overall volume levels were held constant, although many other features were varied. The data indicated that thete are age changes in this ability, that modality does in some instances play a role in emotional comprehension, and that some of the emotions are easier to interpret than others. There are also interaction effects among the factors.

Adolescents’ expression and perception of emotion in music reflects their broader abilities of emotional communication

“…With regards to the different emotions in musical communication, effects were observed for anger, fear, sadness, and tenderness. This is somewhat in line with previous research showing that the ability to perceive and express complex emotions such as anger and fear in music develops later than the ability of distinguishing between happy and sad expression (Dolgin and Adelson 1990;Cunningham and Sterling 1988;Kastner and Crowder 1990;Schubert and McPherson 2006). It seems logical that differences in socio-emotional abilities would manifest themselves particularly in the more refined nuances of musical expression.…”

“…This is a serious limitation, as adolescence in particular is a period during which music plays a major role, and has been shown to serve as a medium for adolescents' emotional self-regulation, peer-group affiliation, and identity formation (Arnett 1995;Behne 1997;Laiho 2004;North, et al, 2000;Saarikallio and Erkkilä 2007). The particular ability to perceive emotion in music begins to develop early, with 5-7-month-olds already showing a preference for happy over sad expression (Nawrot 2003), three-year-olds distinguishing between happy and sad music (Kastner and Crowder 1990), and 4-6-year olds correctly identifying happiness, sadness, anger, and fear in music (Dolgin and Adelson 1990;Cunningham and Sterling 1988). Regarding emotion expression, children as young as four are able to manipulate tempo, dynamics, and pitch to create happy or sad expression (Adachi and Trehub 1998).…”

Emotional sounds and the brain: the neuro-affective foundations of musical appreciation

“…From this modern perspective, it is no wonder that humans, whether adults or children, can easily distinguish the basic emotions within music (Dolgin and Adelson, 1990;Terwogt and Van Grinsven, 1991). Similarly, musicians can easily improvise individual emotions, and listeners can identify them accurately and with considerable confidence (Gabrielsson and Juslin, 1996;Gabrielsson and Lindstroem, 1995;Juslin, 1997;Nielzen and Cesarek, 1982).…”

Varieties of musical experience

“…Infants exhibit an affective response to music by 4 months of age (Zentner & Kagan, 1996, 1998. Identification of emotion in music develops with increasing emotional specificity until it reaches adult-like sophistication, often by the age of six (e.g., Cunningham & Sterling, 1988;Dolgin & Adelson, 1990;Kastner & Crowder, 1990;Kratus, 1993;Terwogt & van Grisven, 1988.…”