THE EFFECT OF PREFERENCE FOR 3 DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSIC ON MAGNITUDE ESTIMATION SCALING BEHAVIOR IN YOUNG-ADULTS

The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of preferenc e for three different types of music on magnitude estimation-scaling b ehavior in young adults. Three groups of college students, 10 who like d rock music, 10 who liked big band music, and 10 who liked classical music mere tested. Subjects were instructed to assign numerical values to a random series of nine suprathreshold intensity levels of 10-sec. samples of rock music, big band music, and classical music. Analysis indicated that subjects mho liked rock music scaled that stimulus diff erently from those subjects a ho liked big Land and classical music. S ubjects who liked big band music scaled that stimulus differently from those subjects who liked rock music and classical music. All subjects scaled classical music similarly regardless of their musical preferen ces. Results are discussed in reference to the literature concerned wi th personality and preference as well as spectrographic analyses of th e three different types of music used in this study.