The effect of repetition on preference ratings for select unfamiliar musical examples: Does preference transfer?

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of repeated exposure to select musical examples on participants' preference ratings, and to investigate the potential transfer of preference to similar, but unfamiliar musical examples. A pre-test-post-test nonequivalent control group design was used to assess preference ratings before and after a program of repeated exposure. A second post-test was included to assess preference ratings for similar, but unfamiliar examples, in order to examine the possibility of generalized preference transfer. Participants included undergraduate students enrolled in three sections of a music appreciation course at a large university (n = 174). Data were collected using research designed survey instruments administered during test measures. The treatment group (n = 96) was exposed to the first set of examples across a 5-week period within which there were 8 test measures. Pre-test to post-test measures resulted in a general positive trend. Post-test ratings were significantly higher than pre-test, and no point of diminishing return was noted. Ratings on the second post-test were significantly higher than pre-test, suggesting a possible transfer of preference within stylistic genre.

Emptying Rooms: When the Inverted-U Model of Preference Fails—An Investigation Using Music With Collative Extremes

“…Interestingly, while familiarity ratings showed a steady, significant increase over subsequent exposures for both stimuli (as expected), no significant relationship was observed between preference and familiarity. This runs counter to the general findings that preference follows the segments of the inverted-U as a function of familiarity (e.g., Bartlett, 1973; Bradley, 1971; Getz, 1966; Hargreaves, 1987; Hunter & Schellenberg, 2011; Johnston, 2015; North & Hargreaves, 1995, 1997; Schellenberg, Peretz, & Vieillard, 2008; Verveer, Barry, & Bousfield, 1933; Washburn, Child, & Abel, 1927). Similarly, this floor-effect result cannot be explained by the mere exposure effect (Zajonc, 1968), an important alternative to the inverted-U model (Hargreaves & North, 2010).…”

The Joyful Reduction of Uncertainty: Music Perception as a Window to Predictive Neuronal Processing

“…Statistical analysis revealed a significant negative effect of stimulus repetition on likability and no interaction effect of repetition with information content. This result documents the independence of structural and veridical predictability, and it contrasts with earlier findings in which stimulus repetition was positively correlated with likability (Johnston, 2016). Data from both experiments by Gold et al (2019a) also showed stronger Wundt effects (i.e., higher skewness and kurtosis values) in participants with higher musical perceptual abilities.…”

Familiar songs reduce infant distress.

“…Perhaps the most prominent difference between the two modes of vocalization is the absence of beat-based regularity in speech and its dominance in ID singing (Longhi, 2009;Nakata & Trehub, 2011) and music in general (Savage, Brown, Sakai, & Currie, 2015). Although ID speech incorporates more repetition than adult-directed speech, it lacks the extensive repetition that characterizes music, a feature that adds to its appeal and memorability (Johnston, 2016;Margulis, 2013Margulis, , 2014. Stereotypy and repetition in ID singing may contribute to its efficacy in regulating infant arousal (Cirelli, Jurewicz, & Trehub, 2019;Shenfield, Trehub, & Nakata, 2003) and its greater efficacy than ID speech in delaying the onset of infant distress (Corbeil, Trehub, & Peretz, 2016).…”