A Physiological Approach to Aesthetic Preference

Ss were presented with nine pieces of music of 1 min duration each. The pieces of music differed in tempo. There were three tempi, and three pieces of music for each tempo. During the presentations, recordings were made of heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR) and skin conductance (SC). The scores on these measures were compared with the ratings by the Ss of the music on a rating scale that had at its extremes ‘very beautiful’ and ‘very ugly’. Groups of Ss were recruited from three populations, each meant to represent a different approach to music. The results indicated tempo differences of HR, RR, SC, and number of galvanic skin responses (nGSR); a group difference for HR; and less pronounced musical preference differences for RR, SC, HR, and nGSR.