Developing the Keele Assessment of Auditory Style (KAAS): A Factor-Analytic Study of Cognitive Trait Predisposition for Audition

Abstract

The current study explored the existence of an auditive-specific orientation among everyday ordinary individuals from the general public and professional orchestra musicians (N = 256). A personality-based cognitive trait grounded on predisposition or sensory preference for audition is referred to as an Auditory Style. The study developed and refined the Keele Assessment of Auditory Style (KAAS), and examined the underlying dimensions through factor analysis. The study found Auditory Style to be normally distributed, and while not rooted on the development of musical ability, professional orchestra musicians clearly demonstrated significantly higher scores than individuals from the general public. The underlying four dimensions of Auditory Style were interpreted as: Awareness, Responsiveness, Sensitivity, and Preference. Post-hoc analysis exhibited distinct factorial solutions for musicians and the general public, pointing to the possibility that characteristic stylistic profiles of each subgroup exist. Finally, the study showed that higher scoring professional orchestra musicians reported a discrete set of characteristic behaviors and attitudes.