Problem music or problem stereotypes? The dynamics of stereotype activation in rock and hip-hop music

Schubert²

2019

EMR

This research investigated whether negative emotional responses to heavy-metal and hip-hop music could be stereotypes of the music genres. It was hypothesized that heavy-metal and hip-hop music with positive lyrics would be perceived as expressing more negative (negative valence/high arousal) emotions, compared with pop music excerpts with identical lyrics. Participants listened to either two heavy-metal or two hip-hop test stimuli and two pop control stimuli. They then responded by stating what emotion they perceived that the music expressed. Results indicated that heavy-metal and hip-hop stimuli were perceived as expressing more negative emotions than pop stimuli. Lyrics were recognized above chance in both heavy metal and hip hop, suggesting that the negative emotion bias was not a result of misunderstanding the lyrics. The Stereotype Theory of Emotion in Music (STEM) explains the findings in terms of an emotion filter which is activated to simplify emotion perception processing. The conclusions provide a novel way of understanding the cultural and social contribution of emotion in music.

Section: Negative Stereotypes Associated With Heavy Metal and Hip Hopmentioning

confidence: 52%

Negative Emotion Responses to Heavy-Metal and Hip-Hop Music with Positive Lyrics

Schubert²

2019

EMR

“…Another study tested for emotional stereotypes in music when controlled for lyrics [16]. This study focused on Heavy Metal and Hip Hop music, often stereotyped as negative [30]. Participants were randomly assigned to rate two Pop (control) and two Heavy Metal (test) excerpts using identical lyrics, or two Pop (control) and two Hip Hop (test) excerpts, again using identical lyrics.…”

Section: Emotion Stereotyping As a Cognitive Process In Musicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Musical emotions in the absence of music: A cross-cultural investigation of emotion communication in music by extra-musical cues

Schubert

2020

PLoS ONE

Research in music and emotion has long acknowledged the importance of extra-musical cues, yet has been unable to measure their effect on emotion communication in music. The aim of this research was to understand how extra-musical cues affect emotion responses to music in two distinguishable cultures. Australian and Cuban participants (N = 276) were instructed to name an emotion in response to written lyric excerpts from eight distinct music genres, using genre labels as cues. Lyrics were presented primed with genre labels (original priming and a false, lured genre label) or unprimed. For some genres, emotion responses to the same lyrics changed based on the primed genre label. We explain these results as emotion expectations induced by extra-musical cues. This suggests that prior knowledge elicited by lyrics and music genre labels are able to affect the musical emotion responses that music can communicate, independent of the emotion contribution made by psychoacoustic features. For example, the results show a lyric excerpt that is believed to belong to the Heavy Metal genre triggers high valence/high arousal emotions compared to the same excerpt primed as Japanese Gagaku, without the need of playing any music. The present study provides novel empirical evidence of extra-musical effects on emotion and music, and supports this interpretation from a multi-genre, cross-cultural perspective. Further findings were noted in relation to fandom that also supported the emotion expectation account. Participants with high levels of fandom for a genre reported a wider range of emotions in response to the lyrics labelled as being a song from that same specific genre, compared to lower levels of fandom. Both within and across culture differences were observed, and the importance of a culture effect discussed.

“…Stereotyping may bias participants' judgment of and evaluations about music genres. Neguţ and Sârbescu (2014) asked participants to rate lyrics belonging to Rock and Hip Hop genres using items measuring suggestibility and aggressive behavior. Beforehand, one group of participants was informed that the songs contained obscene or violent lyrics and the other group was not.…”

Section: Stereotypes Can Bias Participants' Judgement Of Genrementioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural stereotyping of emotional responses to music genre

Schubert

2018

Psychology of Music

This study investigated whether emotional responses to a music genre could be predicted by stereotypes of the culture with which the music genre is associated. A two-part study was conducted. Participants listened to music samples from eight distinct genres: Fado, Koto, Heavy Metal, Hip Hop, Pop, Samba, Bolero, and Western Classical. They also described their spontaneous associations with the music and their spontaneous associations with the music’s related cultures: Portuguese, Japanese, Heavy Metal, Hip Hop, Pop, Brazilian, Cuban, and Western culture, respectively. Results indicated that a small number of specific emotions reported for a music genre were the same as stereotypical emotional associations of the corresponding culture. These include peace and calm for Koto music and Japanese culture, and anger and aggression for Heavy Metal music and culture. We explain these results through the stereotype theory of emotion in music (STEM), where an emotion filter is activated that simplifies the assessment process for a music genre that is not very familiar to the listener. Listeners familiar with a genre reported fewer stereotyped emotions than less familiar listeners. The study suggests that stereotyping competes with the psychoacoustic cues in the expression of emotion.