Music discovery and revisiting behaviors of individuals with different preference characteristics: An experience sampling approach

Abstract

A mobile device‐enabled experience sampling study was conducted in which 44 participants answered questions about their music experiences 5 times a day for 2 weeks. Data regarding 4 aspects of their music‐related psychological traits—“music involvement,” “musical identity,” “preference diversity,” and “preference openness”—were also collected through a background questionnaire. A classification of music access modes was proposed based on the circumstances that lead to a music listening experience. A mixed regression analysis revealed several significant interaction effects between psychological traits and the mode of music access on music enjoyment. Foremost among these was a positive interaction effect between preference openness and the playing of a known track triggered by musical cues, and that between preference diversity and exposure to new music played by others. Individuals with a strong musical identity tended to enjoy music played of their own volition without any apparent triggers. Furthermore, a multimodal logistic regression analysis also revealed the relationships between these psychological traits and the likelihood of different music access modes. Preference diversity significantly increased the likelihood of music listening triggered by need arousal. The results support the proposition that users' music‐related psychological traits should be considered in personalized recommendation strategies.