Changes in Galvanic Skin Response as Affected by Musical Selection, Sex, and Academic Discipline

The present paper tested hypotheses that (a) music can influence anxiety; (b) differences in response to music may be found between males and females; and (c) differences in response may be found between music and nonmusic majors. Subjects included 100 music majors, (50 male and 50 female) and 100 nonmusic majors, (50 male and 50 female) randomly selected from students at North Park College, Chicago, Illinois. Test instruments included a pencil-maze, blindfold goggles, GSR apparatus, and a musical recording. All three hypotheses were substantiated in terms of levels of significance ranging from .01 to .05 for different Ss.