Abstract
Previous studies using an affective priming paradigm have shown that valenced chords (e.g., consonant–positive; dissonant–negative) facilitate the evaluation of similarly valenced target words. The role of numerosity (the total number of pitches in a chord) and timbre has not yet been systematically investigated in previous priming studies using consonant/dissonant chords. An experiment was conducted in which 40 participants evaluated positive and negative target words with consonant/dissonant chords used as affective primes. Eight distinct chords (four consonant and four dissonant) were used as primes; the consonant and dissonant chords were equally divided to comprise either two (i.e., interval) or four (i.e., tetrad) pitches. Each chord was played with two distinct timbres (piano and harmonium), resulting in a total of 16 chords. Results showed that congruent chord–word pairings resulted in faster reaction times, and this finding was in line with previous research using consonant/dissonant chords as primes. However, this effect was present only with tetrad chords, suggesting that numerosity influences affective priming done with chords. There were no significant effects of timbre or the musical sophistication of the participants. Arguments are made as to why higher pitch numerosity in chords (resulting in acoustic complexity) might influence the evaluation of valenced target words.
Highlights
The contrast between consonance and dissonance is a crucial feature of Western music
Post hoc tests confirmed that reaction times to positive words were faster when the words were preceded by consonant chords (mean reaction time (RT) = 586 ms, SD = 117 ms) than when they were preceded by dissonant chords, t(34) = 2.28, p = .03, difference in mean RT = 8 ms; reaction times to negative words were marginally faster when the words were preceded by dissonant chords than by consonant chords, t(34) = 1.87, p = .06, difference in mean RT = 7 ms
The current study has demonstrated for the first time that pitch numerosity plays a role in consonant/dissonant chords when they are used as primes for valenced target words
Summary
The contrast between consonance and dissonance is a crucial feature of Western music. The exact acoustic and cultural components of consonance and dissonance and their order of importance is notoriously contentious (see e.g., Harrison & Pearce, 2019), there is agreement over the notion that ‘consonant’ typically means harmonious, agreeable and stable, whereas ‘dissonant’, by contrast, means disagreeable, unpleasant and in need of resolution (see Tramo et al, 2001). The current study is concerned with the perception of isolated vertical intervals (two concurrent pitches) and chords (three or more concurrent pitches). Many selfreport studies have demonstrated that dissonant chords are perceived as more negative and unpleasant than their consonant counterparts (see e.g., Arthurs et al, 2018; Costa et al, 2000; Maher, 1980). Many selfreport studies have demonstrated that dissonant chords are perceived as more negative and unpleasant than their consonant counterparts (see e.g., Arthurs et al, 2018; Costa et al, 2000; Maher, 1980). Zentner and Kagan (1996) suggest that the preference for consonance over dissonance is present already in infants, implying that humans might at least to some extent be biologically prepared to prefer consonance over harsh dissonance
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