Due to popular demand (well, okay, Sophia expressed polite interest
), I thought I'd post the reading list for my psychology of music seminar I'm teaching this semester. One thing to keep in mind is that the course is titled "The social psychology of music," and so the emphasis is definitely social or interpersonal in nature... there's a lot on cognitive or neurological factors in performing music that I just don't have the time or inclination to get into.
I'm sure there's lots of great topics or readings I've left out. If you have suggestions for improvement, I'd love to hear them. Prepping a course from scratch is just too much work to only use once, so I'm sure I'll be teaching it again in the future.
Oh, and I'm only copying the reading assignments. If you're interested in the rest of the syllabus (paper requirement, dire threats not to plagiarize or turn in papers late, etc.), PM me and I can email you the whole thing.)
Required ReadingsTwo books are required for this course. They are available at the UK bookstore:
Levitin, D. J. (2007). This is your brain on music: The science of a human obsession. New York: Plume/Penguin.
Sacks, O. (2008). Musicophilia: Tales of music and the brain (revised and expanded version). New York: Vintage.
W
eek 1– 8/26; Defining music: “The material of music is sound and silence. Integrating these is composing. I have nothing to say and I am saying it.†–No assigned readings
Week 2–9/2: The psychophysiology of music: If a tree is playing a piano in the forest and nobody is there, does it make a sound? Levitin: Introduction, chs. 1-3 (pp. 1-110)
Week 3–9/9: The music in your head: Just what the heck is “symphonic metal†anyway? Levitin: chs. 4-5 (pp. 111-163)
Sacks: chs. 4-6 (pp. 32-92)
Week 4–9/16: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?â€: The practice vs. talent debate Levitin: ch. 7 (pp. 193-221)
Sacks, ch. 12 (pp. 162-170)
Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, J. C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100, 363-406.
Howe, M. J. A., Davidson, J. W., & Sloboda, J. A. (1998). Innate talents: Reality or myth? Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 21, 399-442.
Week 5–9/23: Musical preferences and personality: Could you marry somebody who liked Barry Manilow? Levitin: ch. 8 (pp. 223-246).
Rentfrow, P. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2003). The do re mi’s of everyday life: The structure and personality correlates of music preferences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 1236-1256.
Rentfrow, P. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2005). Message in a ballad: The role of music preferences in interpersonal perception. Psychological Science, 17, 236-242.
North, A. C., Hargreaves, D. J., & Hargreaves, J. J. (2004). Uses of music in everyday life. Music Perception, 22, 41-77.
Week 6–9/30: What is music good for?: The evolutionary basis of music Levitin: ch. 9 (pp. 247-267)
Fitch, W. T. (2005). The evolution of music in comparative perspective. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1060, 29-49.
Huron, D. (2001). Is music an evolutionary adaptation? Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 930, 43-61.
Week 7–10/7: What else is music good for?: Baby Mozart had to play the piano, not just listen to it Sacks, chs. 1 & 7 (pp. 3-18 & pp. 95-104)
Trainor, L. J. (2005). Are there critical periods for musical development? Developmental Psychobiology, 46, 262-278.
Steele, K. M., Bass, K. E., & Crook, M. D. (1999). The mystery of the Mozart effect: Failure to replicate. Psychological Science, 10(4), 366-369.
Schellenberg, E. G. (2006). Long-term positive associations between music lessons and IQ. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 457-468.
Schellenberg, E. G. (2004). Music lessons enhance IQ. Psychological Science, 15(8), 511-514.
Hyde, K., Lerch, J., Norton, A., Forgeard, M., Winner, E., Evans, A. C., & Schlaug, G. (2009). Musical training shapes structural brain development. The Journal of Neuroscience, 29, 3019-3025.
Week 8 – 10/14: Midterm exam: No assigned readings.Week 9 – 10/21: Soothing the savage breast: Using music to heal others Sacks, chs. 16-18 (pp. 232-253); ch. 20 (pp. 270-283); 29 (pp. 371-385)
Mitchell, L. A., MacDonald, R. A. R., & Knussen, C. An investigation of the effect of music and art on pain perception. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 2(3), 162-170.
Gold, C., Solli, H. P., Krüger, V., & Lie, S. A. (2009). Dose-response relationship in music therapy for people with serious mental disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 29, 193-207.
W
eek 10 – 10/28: “Our experiment in sound was nearly ready to beginâ€: Using music for behavioral control Egermann, H., Kopiez, R., & Reuter, C. (2006). Is there an effect of subliminal messages in music on choice behavior? Journal of Articles in Support of the Null Hypothesis, 4(2), 29-42.
North, A. C., MacKenzie, L. C., Law, R. M., & Hargreaves, D. J. (2004). The effects of musical and voice “fit†on responses to advertisements. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34, 1675-1708.
Carpentier, F. D., Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & Blumhoff, A. (2007). Naughty versus nice: Suggestive pop music influences on perceptions of potential romantic partners. Media Psychology, 9, 1-17.
Cusick, S. G. (2008). “You are in a place that is out of the world...â€: Music in the detention camps of the “Global War on Terror.†Journal of the Society for American Music, 2(1), 1-26.
Week 11 – 11/5: A bum rap: Music and violence Anderson, C. A., Carnagey, N. L., & Eubanks, J. (2003). Exposure to violent media: The effects of songs with violent lyrics on aggressive thoughts and feelings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(5), 960-971.
Fischer, P., & Greitemeyer, T. (2006). Music and aggression: The impact of sexual-aggressive song lyrics on aggression-related thoughts, emotions, and behavior toward the same and the opposite sex. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 1165-1176.
Anderson, C. A., Berkowitz, L., Donnerstein, E., Huesmann, L. R., Johnson, J. D., Linz, D., Malamuth, N. M., & Wartella, E. (2003). The influence of media violence on youth. Psychology in the Public Interest, 4(3), 81-110.
Savage, J., & Yancey, C. (2008). The effects of media violence exposure on criminal aggression: A meta-analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 35(6), 772-791.
Week 12 – 11/11: Juke box hero: Performance issues Sacks, ch. 22 (pp. 289-300).
Antonietti, A., Cocomazzi, D., & Iannello, P. (2009). Looking at the audience improves music appreciation. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 33(2), 89-106.
Kenny, D. T., & Osborne, M. S. (2006). Music performance anxiety: New insights from young musicians. Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 2, 103-112.
Moore, D. G., Burland, K., & Davidson, J. W. (2003). The social context of musical success: A developmental account. British Journal of Psychology, 94, 529-549.
Week 13 – 11/18: “Where words fail, music speaksâ€: Music and emotion Sacks, chs. 24-28 (pp. 312-370)
Levitin, ch. 6 (pp. 169-192)
Week 14 – 11/25: Thanksgiving: No class.Week 15 – 12/2: Let’s talk about music Oral presentations. No assigned readings.
Week 16 – 12/9: Coda Sacks, chs. 2, 3, 9, 11, 13, 14, 19