Effects of Listeners' and Performers' Race on Music Preferences

Abstract

This study's purpose was to examine the effects of black and white listeners' and performers' race on music preferences. On a Likert-type rating scale, middle-school (n = 102) and university (n =119) listeners indicated how much they liked or disliked 20 taped music examples. On a second rating scale, the listeners selected a point closest to the racial identifier that they believed described the performer's race. A second measurement examined the participants' attitudes toward social encounters with blacks and whites.

Only the black listeners showed statistically significant differences in their music preferences for white and black performers (p < .01). These listeners gave stronger preference ratings when they identified the performer's race as black. White listeners' preference ratings, however, were virtually equal for the black and white performers. On the social-encounter measurement, both black and white respondents provided more positive responses to statements of encounters with members of their own race than with the other racial group.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aboud, F. E. , & Skerry, S. A. (1984). The development of ethnic attitudes: A critical review. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 15, 3–34.

Appleton, C. (1971). The comparative preferential response of black and white college students to black and white folk and popular musical styles (Doctoral dissertation, New York University, 1970). Dissertation Abstracts International, 32, 27223A.

Doyle, A. B. , Beaudet, J. , & Aboud, F. (1988). Developmental patterns in the flexibility of children's ethnic attitudes. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 19, 8–18.

Finnas, L. (1989). How can musical preferences be modified? Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, no. 102, 1–58.

Hedden, S. K. (1981). Music listening skills and music listening preferences. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, no. 65, 16–26.

Jones, J. M. (1988). Racism in black and white: A bicultural model of reaction and evolution. In P. A. Katz & D. A. Taylor (Eds.), Eliminating racism: Profiles in controversy (p. 130). New York: Plenum Press.

Killian, J. N. (1990). Effect of model characteristics on musical preference of junior high students. Journal of Research in Music Education, 38, 115–123.

Kuhn, T. L. (1980). Instrumentation for the measurement of music attitudes. Contributions to Music Education, 8, 2–38.

LeBlanc, A. (1979). Generic style music preferences of fifth-grade students. Journal of Research in Music Education, 27, 255–270.

10.

LeBlanc, A. , & Sherrill, C. (1986). Effect of vocal vibrato and performer's sex on children's music preference. Journal of Research in Music Education, 34, 222–237.

11.

Madsen, C. , & Madsen, C. H. (1975). Selections of music listening or candy as a function of contingent versus noncontingent reinforcement and scale singing. In C. K. Madsen , R. D. Greer , and C. H. Madsen (Eds.), Research in music behavior (pp. 89–96). New York: Teachers College Press.

12.

Meadows, E. (1971). The relationship of music preference to certain cultural determiners (Doctoral dissertation, Michigan State University, 1970). Dissertation Abstracts International, 31, 6100A.

13.

Schuessler, K. F. (1980). Musical taste and socio-economic background. New York: Arno Press.

14.

Shehan, P. K. (1985). Transfer of preference from taught to untaught pieces of non-Western music genres. Journal of Research in Music Education, 33, 149–158.