The evaluation of the quality of a musical performance is not just a result of what we hear, but may be influenced by what we believe we hear. Ninety-six participants listened to two synthesized versions of a Chopin prelude, differing slightly in overall tempo, and were told that one version was played by a pianist, while the other was played by a computer. They evaluated the quality of the two versions, and rated the degree to which each version expresses various emotions. The “human” version was rated as a better performance, but no differences were found in degree and type of emotion expressed. It is suggested that attention was focused on different factors in answering the two types of questions.
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