There is emerging evidence in support of the Gap Across Emotion Loci (GAEL) theory, a novel theory of musical preference proposed by Schubert and colleagues. GAEL theory maintains that preference for music is reduced if the perceived and felt emotions associated with that music are markedly different from one another. Currently, the theory has only been tested for classical music in situations where perceived emotional magnitude is greater than or equal to felt emotional magnitude. The present study tested the GAEL theory for situations where felt emotional magnitude was often greater than perceived emotional magnitude. Specifically, we tested the GAEL theory for situations where felt emotion is induced because the music evokes a powerful memory of a particular event from a person’s life. Forty undergraduate psychology students (22 females, 18 males) rated perceived and felt emotion for 1 participant-chosen piece and 3 experimenter-chosen pieces. Vocal songs in a range of genres were used in the experiment. Results suggest that the GAEL theory may not always account for musical preference. In fact, one regression model suggested that larger gaps between perceived and felt emotion are associated with increased preference. It is argued that in situations where music is personally meaningful, such as when music elicits powerful episodic memories, the GAEL theory is not a significant predictor of preference. Instead, variables that reflect the important personal associations attached to the music, such as familiarity and measures of felt emotion, are more reliable predictors of preference.

Authors: Amy Price, William Thompson and Steven Livingstone

Event: SF08: Speed Papers

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