Tuning the inner radio: The mental control of musical imagery in everyday environments

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Paul Silvia, Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: How easily can people tune their inner radio? Musical imagery—hearing music in your mind—is common but little is known about people’s ability to control their musical imagery in daily life. A recent model distinguishes between initiation (starting musical imagery) vs. management (modifying, stopping, or sustaining musical imagery) as facets of control, and the present research examined people’s ability to use these two forms of control in daily life. For seven days, students (29 music students, 29 non-music students) were signaled 10 times daily and asked to initiate musical imagery and to perform manipulations on initiated and ongoing imagery (e.g., increasing the tempo, changing the vocalist’s gender). When asked, people reported exerting control over the initiation and management of their musical imagery most of the time. As expected, music students reported controlling their musical imagery more often and more easily. This work suggests that people’s control over their musical imagery is stronger and more flexible than prior work implies.

Additional Information

Publication
Psychology of Music
Language: English
Date: 2019
Keywords
experience sampling, imagery, mental control, musical expertise, musical imagery

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