Title

Influences on Music Preference Formation

Author

Chanel K Meyers

Faculty Sponsor

Ethan McMahan

Abstract

Music preference is a multifaceted topic that addresses questions which continuously elude musicologists, music researchers and social psychologists. How does something so pervasive in our lives, such as music, remain a mystery to us? Music preference has been studied on many levels and the factors that influence the types of music we prefer are numerous, including genres, exposure, personality, and musical characteristics. However, our understanding of how and why music preferences are formed is still fragmented. We can narrow down music preferences into two broad categories: intrinsic and extrinsic qualities. In attempt to explore these characteristics, three commonly emerging theories concerning musical preference formation will serve as the foundation: repeated exposure, social learning, and inherent musical qualities. The current paper aims to draw on these theories in relation to the development and reasoning behind our musical preferences.

Description

The author wishes to thank Dr. Ethan McMahan and Dr. Thomas Osborne for their time and knowledge in editing this paper.

Subject

Cognition and Perception

Social Psychology

music

preferences

tonal

atonal

social influence

Rights

Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 06/01/2023, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author.

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Type

Text

volume

1

Date Published

5/29/2012

Note

Ethan McMahan

Alternative Title

Influences on Music Preference Formation

Identifier

pure/vol1/iss1/7

Language

eng