An experiment is presented in which the tonal attraction between context dyads and following probe tones was measured using listeners’ subjective ratings of ‘resolution’ and/or ‘pull’. The data were analysed with respect to three core variables identified within the stimuli: (1) interval cycles; (2) whether the context dyad was consonant or dissonant; and (3) the presence of possible tonic pitches. Only the interval cycle variable consistently and significantly accounted for the listeners’ responses. (An interval cycle is the minimum number of additive iterations of an interval that are required for the original pitch classes to be restated.) The experiment and the issue of tonal attraction are discussed within the context of the interval cycle proximity hypothesis.
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