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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/228942
Perceptual representations mediate effects of stimulus properties on liking for music
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Abstract
Perceptual pleasure and its concomitant hedonic value play an essential role in every-
day life, motivating behavior and thus influencing how individuals choose to spend their
time and resources. However, how pleasure arises from perception of sensory infor-
mation remains relatively poorly understood. In particular, research has neglected the
question of how perceptual representations mediate the relationships between stimu-
lus properties and liking (e.g., stimulus symmetry can only affect liking if it is perceived).
The present research addresses this gap for the first time, analyzing perceptual and
liking ratings of 96 nonmusicians (power of 0.99) and finding that perceptual represen-
tations mediate effects of feature-based and information-based stimulus properties on
liking for a novel set of melodies varying in balance, contour, symmetry, or complex-
ity. Moreover, variability due to individual differences and stimuli accounts for most of
the variance in liking. These results have broad implications for psychological research
on sensory valuation, advocating a more explicit account of random variability and the
mediating role of perceptual representations of stimulus properties.
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CLEMENTE, Ana, KAPLAN, Thomas M. and PEARCE, Marcus. Perceptual representations mediate effects of stimulus properties on liking for music. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2024. Vol. 1533, num. 1, pags. 169-180. ISSN 0077-8923. [consulted: 7 of June of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/228942