The highs and lows of music: dynamic neurophysiological entrainment in live concert experiences

EPSRC：Rory Kirk：EP/R513313/1是什么让音乐成为一种有益的体验？为什么人们最强烈的音乐体验往往是在现场音乐会上？对音乐心理功能的研究正在迅速增长，反映出人们越来越多地认识到音乐的力量，与此同时，越来越多的人在健康干预、治疗以及商业娱乐和应用中使用音乐。尽管研究有所增加，但人们对音乐的心理体验和功能的大部分了解都是基于对简短音乐摘录的研究。新的技术和设施开始允许研究更长时间、更密集的音乐活动的影响，以及在更自然的环境中，如现场音乐会。我们计划与麦克马斯特音乐与心灵学院一起，在他们的大型互动虚拟环境(LIVE)实验室进行一项实证研究，这是一个独特的、拥有106个座位的剧院，配备了同时收集行为和神经生理测量的技术。我们将测量大脑活动(EEG)、生理(心率、皮肤电导)和观众在收听现场音乐会时的自我报告。使用先进的分析技术将使我们能够研究这些神经生理指标是如何随着时间的推移而发展的，是如何与音乐以及快乐、专注和情感的主观体验联系在一起的。正在测试的假说预测，神经生理学测量与音乐的某些方面‘夹带’(同步)，并且这种夹带在音乐的情感体验增强时更强。此外，我们推测，神经生理学纠缠可能在观众之间传染，并通过观看表演者产生积极影响。这项研究将有助于我们理解长期和潜在强烈的社会情绪体验中的认知过程。它对我们理解音乐享受的心理学以及音乐对健康和福祉的使用具有重要意义，它超越了刺激反应模型，考虑了时间、社会和神经生理动力学。

EPSRC: Rory Kirk: EP/R513313/1 What makes music a rewarding experience? And why are people's strongest musical experiences most often at live concerts? Research into the psychological functions of music is rapidly growing, reflecting an increased recognition of the power of music, which is paralleled in a growing repertoire of uses of music in health interventions, therapy and commercial entertainment and applications. Despite growth in research, most of what is known about psychological experience and functions of music is based on research with brief musical excerpts. New technologies and facilities are beginning to allow for research into the effects of longer, intensive music engagement and in more naturalistic settings, such as live concerts. With the McMaster Institute of Music & the Mind, we plan to conduct an empirical study at their Large Interactive Virtual Environment (LIVE) Lab, a unique, 106-seat theatre equipped with technology to simultaneously collect behavioural and neurophysiological measures. We will measure brain activity (EEG), physiology (heart rate, skin conductance) and self-reports of audience members as they listen to a live concert. Using advanced analysis techniques will enable us to investigate how these neurophysiological measures develop over time, are linked to the music and to subjective experiences of pleasure, absorption, and emotion. The hypotheses being tested predict that neurophysiological measures 'entrain' (synchronise) with aspects of the music and that such entrainment is stronger in heightened emotional experiences of the music. Furthermore, we speculate that neurophysiological entrainment may be contagious between audience members and positively influenced by seeing the performers. This research will contribute towards our understanding of cognitive processes during prolonged and potentially intense socio-emotional experiences. It has implications for our understanding of the psychology of music enjoyment and uses of music for health and wellbeing, going beyond models of stimulus-response by taking into account temporal, social and neurophysiological dynamics.