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Emotional reponses to music: The influence of lyrics
The ability to recognise basic emotions in music, such as happiness and sadness, is a universal skill that does not always depend on previous exposure to the musical style (Fritz et al. 2009). There is growing recognition of the variety of emotional states that music can express (Zentner et al – see my previous blog on complex musical emotions) and the speed at which we can correctly identify these states (as quick as 500ms!) We know that the structures within music help to communicate happiness and sadness: Sad music = soft dynamics, legato articulation, soft tempo and minor mode Happy music = staccato articulation, louder intensities and major mode A…
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Interview – Professor Bill Thompson
I received my BSc in psychology and mathematics from McGill University and my PhD from Queens University, Kingston in 1986 (supervisor Lola Cuddy). I am currently Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology, Macquarie University. I’m a Chief Investigator in the “Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders” which recently received $21 million dollars in funding by the Australian Research Council, and director of the Centre for Elite Performance, Expertise and Training at Macquarie University. My 2009 book “Music, Thought and Feeling” (Oxford University Press) is a leading textbook on the psychology of music. I have completed terms as Editor of the journal Empirical Musicology Review, and President…
