Development and Psychometric Validation of the Music Receptivity Scale

Abstract

A new construct, termed music receptivity, is introduced and discussed in this work. Music receptivity can be defined as a measure of the extent of internalization that an individual has, to a given piece of music, as measured at the point of listening. Through three studies, we demonstrate the psychometric properties of the construct—the Music Receptivity Scale (MRS). Exploratory factor analysis on a sample of 313 revealed good psychometric validity, with a four-factor solution (emotional experience, interest, attention, and hurdles), with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.89, and a two-factor solution (emotion experience and attention), with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87. The tool also had a good test–retest reliability (r = 0.87 for a 15 day interval and r = 0.91 for 1 month interval). Overall, the tool had 20 items in the long form and 12 items in the short version. The MRS could distinguish musicians and non-musicians supporting its discriminant validity. We have also discussed the implication of the MRS in the field of music psychology.