Date of Award
2009
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Social Sciences
First Advisor
Callahan, Charlene
Keywords
Music, Judgments, Identity
Area of Concentration
Psychology
Abstract
The current study examined self-identity from within the context of musical preferences. It investigated whether the strength with which music preferences impact overall identity predicted the strength of judgments made of other music fans. One-hundred-sixty-nine participants, 65 males and 104 females, completed online surveys and listened to clips of "favorite songs" of five hypothetical music "fans." Social assessments of each "fan" were elicited. Each participant also completed a self-questionnaire and responded to similar social assessment questions, as well as items designed to assess musical identity and musician status. Results showed that musical identity strength was positively correlated with making "extreme" judgments of the hypothetical music fans. Being a musician or singer affected musical identity strength. The question of whether participants showed evidence of self-to-prototype matching was explored, as was the incidence of in-group/out-group bias. Neither showed strong effects. Implications for future research are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Creighton, Jennifer, "You Are What You Listen To A Study of Social Judgment Strength Based on Musical Identities and Preferences" (2009). Theses & ETDs. 4077.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/4077