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We examined the effects of background music on cognitive task performances using different musical arrangements from an excerpt of Mozart’s Piano Sonata K.448. The participants were 126 university students: 70 music majors and 56 nonmusic majors. Three types of musical arrangements were used as background conditions: rhythm-only, melody, and original music conditions. Participants were asked to perform cognitive tasks in the presence of each music condition. The participants’ percentage of completed items and accuracy on these tasks were compared for music and nonmusic majors, controlling for the effect of perceived level of arousal and their performance during no background music. Whether a participant’s perceptions of background music predicted their cognitive performance was also analyzed. We found that music majors demonstrated decreased task performance for the original background condition, while nonmusic majors demonstrated no significant differences in performance across the arrangements. When pitch or rhythm information was modified, emotional valence and arousal were perceived differently. Perception of the complexity of the background music depending on the arrangement type differed between music majors and nonmusic majors. While the perceived complexity significantly predicted nonmusic majors’ cognitive performance, its predictive effect was not found in music majors. The findings imply that perceptions of musical arrangements in terms of expectancy and complexity can be critical factors in determining how arrangements affect concurrent cognitive activity, while suggesting that music itself is not a facilitating or detrimental factor for cognitive performance.

There is growing interest in identifying the environmental factors that contribute to individuals’ perceptions of safety and sense of well-being in public spaces. As such, this study examined how music listening during nighttime walking influenced female university students’ psychological state and perceptions of their campus. A total of 178 female university students with a mean age of 23.0 years participated in this study. One group of 78 students listened to prerecorded music while walking across their campus at night, while the other 100 students did not listen to music during nighttime walking. Immediately following their nighttime walking, participants were asked to rate their psychological state, perceptions on the safety of their campus, and the music (only for the music-listening group). For the non-music-listening group, significant correlations were found between the perceived safety of the campus and psychological states (both anxiety and psychological distress); the correlations were not significant in the music-listening group. The results indicate that music can mediate psychological states, supporting the proactive use of music as a psychological resource for coping with their perceptions of adverse environments. Given the limitations of this preliminary study, further studies with controlled music listening conditions, type of music, and environmental issues are suggested.

This study aimed to investigate the differences in verbal descriptions of emotions induced by music between adults who are visually impaired (VI) and adults who have normal vision (NV). Thirty part...

In music listening, limitations on visual experience affect a listener’s abstract information processing and conceptualization of the music. The aim of this study is to examine the differences in emotional responses to music between adults with visual impairment (VI) and adults with normal vision (NV). By using specific, emotion-inducing music reflecting happiness, sadness, anger, and fear, this study considers factors such as music emotion identification, emotional valence, arousal, intensity, and musical preference. A total of 120 participants (60 VI and 60 NV) listened to sixteen 15-second music excerpts and reported which emotion and to what extent they perceived it, using a self-reported music emotion evaluation scale. The results indicated that both of the groups showed high congruence in music emotion identification. However, the VI group showed significantly higher arousal, intensity and preference for sadness, while showing the lowest score for the intensity of fear. The main factor affecting emotion identification was preference for the VI group, and valence for the NV group.

Background While a number of studies have tested the therapeutic effectiveness of playing musical instruments, such as the electronic keyboard using Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), it is still unclear whether outcomes of electronic keyboard playing are related to hand function tests. Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between MIDI-keyboard playing and hand function tests, including grip strength, Box and Block test (BBT), and Jensen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHF). Methods A total of 66 stroke patients were recruited from medical centers and were classified into acute (n = 21), subacute (n = 28), and chronic (n = 17) recovery stages. The participants' mean age was 60.5 years. The MIDI-keyboard playing protocol based on sequential key pressing was implemented. All hand function tests were performed by certified occupational therapists. Results MIDI scores from participants at all three recovery stages were significantly correlated with BBT and grip strength. Overall, MIDI-keyboard playing scores demonstrated moderate to high correlations with hand function tests except for participants at the chronic stage and the JTHF, which showed no correlation. Conclusions These findings suggest that MIDI-keyboard playing has great potential as an assessment tool of hand function, especially hand dexterity in acute and subacute stroke patients. Further studies are needed to refine the specific keyboard playing tasks that increase responsiveness to traditional hand function tests.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of light condition on physiological state and mood perception of music during listening. Seventy-six participants were assigned randomly to 2 experimental conditions: regular and dim light conditions. Visual analogue scales were used to indicate changes in physiological state and the perceived mood of the music. Participants assessed their physiological state between “relaxed” and “tensed” before and after the music listening. At posttest, they also indicated the perceived mood of the music on a second Visual Analog Scale. Analysis of covariance and analysis of variance were used to analyze the group differences in physiological change and perception of music, respectively. The results indicated that there was a statistical difference in physiological change between the 2 group conditions ( P = .005), with greater changes present in the dimmer light condition than in the regular light condition. There was no significant difference in the music mood perception between the groups. These results indicate that brightness may be a significant paravariable in the listening experience.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how special education teachers and health-related professionals perceive and understand the functions of music in the United Arab Emirates. A total of 70 Special Education teachers, physical therapists, speech therapists, and medical professionals completed questionnaires about their musical training and activities, as well as their beliefs about the role and function of music. The survey results indicated that these professionals perceived music to have specific functions in the social, emotional, communicational, and recreational domains. Further analysis showed positive correlations between certain participants’ characteristics, such as duration of music education, and beliefs about specific functions of music. The authors propose that these results provide fundamental information needed to develop and implement music therapy programs in the United Arab Emirates and to promote collaborations among professionals from different fields and cultural backgrounds. Keywords: function of music, special education, United Arab Emirates, perception of music