Effect of Tempo and Dynamics on the Perception of Emotion in Music

Abstract

Adults (N = 96) with little or no training in music heard one of four possible MIDI versions of each of four musical excerpts. The four versions of each excerpt included one with unvarying tempo and dynamics, one with variations in tempo only, one with variations in dynamics only, and one with variations in tempo and dynamics. Participants rated each excerpt on a 7-point scale for likeability and emotional expressiveness. Variations in dynamics resulted in higher ratings on both measures but variations in tempo had no such effect. In general, women rated the musical excerpts as more emotionally expressive and more likeable than did men. Finally, musical preferences were highly correlated with ratings of emotional expressiveness.