Abstract

Music is an "ubiquitous and social phenomena" (Rentfrow & Gosling, 2003) and as such it deserves attention at the experimental level. It has been used as a tool in many areas of the health care system such as assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and followup care (Memory & Bellamy, 1993). It has also been used as a tool in medical research to determine how it affects one's physiology (Morhinweg, 1992). Recently, music has been used in the field of psychology and personality (Dollinger, 1993). More specifically, it was found that using music as a tool in the psychology field can aid in the understanding of personality. Research has shown that certain types of music (Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, and Rock) may..be related to specific personality traits and behaviors. This study asked the question "Is there a significant difference in degrees of a groups level of Openness and Agreeableness associated with the type of music one listens to?" In this study it was hypothesized that:

1. Those who prefer to listen to Jazz and Rhythm and Blues music have higher scores of Openness and Agreeableness on the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEOPI- R) then those who prefer to listen to Alternative, Country and Western, Hip-Hop/Rap, or Rock music. It was expected that there was a positive correlation with the scores of those preferring jazz/rhythm and blues with scores of Openness and Agreeableness.

2. Those who prefer more than one style of music have a higher degree of Openness and Agreeableness on the NEO-Pl-R than those who prefer to listen to only one style of music regardless of whether it is Alternative, Country and Western, HipHop/ Rap, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, or Rock music. It was expected that there was a positive correlation with those who listen to more than one style of music with the degree of Openness and Agreeableness.

It was found that there was no significant correlation with music listeners of any music style with the scores of Agreeableness. It was also found that the group with a preference to Classical and Techno music had stronger positive correlation with the Openness scale than groups with a preference for Jazz and Rhythm and Blues music. It was also found that the group with a preference for Country music had a negative correlation on the Openness scale, and the group with a preference for Hip-Hop/Rap music correlated negatively with Agreeableness. It was also found that the more music styles groups preferred, the more open to experience they were.

LLU Discipline

Psychology

Department

Psychology

School

School of Science and Technology

First Advisor

Todd Burley

Second Advisor

David Chavez

Third Advisor

Matt Riggs

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Degree Level

Psych.D.

Year Degree Awarded

2009

Date (Title Page)

12-2009

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Personality; Music -- Psychological aspects; Music -- Social aspects; Music therapy; Personality tests; NEO Personality Inventory; NEO Five-Factor Inventory; Music Preference Scale.

Subject - Local

Personality; Music -- psychology; Music Therapy; Personality Assessment.

Type

Doctoral Project

Page Count

x; 55

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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