Radocy, R. E., & Boyle, J. D. (2012). Psychological foundations of musical behavior (5th ed.). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Ltd., 505 pages. ISBN13: 978-0398088033. $79.95.Now in its fifth edition, Radocy and Boyle's Psychological Foundations of Musical Behavior has become a ubiquitous resource for the of psychology of music and music behaviors. The newest edition provides numerous updates of current research, which are woven throughout most chapters. Overall, the writing is clear and concise and, at times, even playful. The authors are able to explain complex concepts and phenomena in a linear fashion while providing ample extant research citations for support and application. Roughly 10-20% of the references for each chapter have been published since the previous edition, which suggests an appropriate updating of the content. This is particularly important in the expanding area of music behavior.The authors frequently provide background information via footnotes as well as explaining basic concepts behind select statistical measures and procedures where an assumption of reader understanding might be inappropriate. These brief narratives are succinct and clearly written, which should provide an adequate amount of understanding to facilitate reader comprehension. Further, the summary points provided at the end of each chapter provide a brief recap of the primary emphases of each chapter and would likely function as an effective study guide for readers.As with the previous edition, this book is divided into 11 chapters. The first chapter provides a preface to the new edition as well as providing operational definitions for such terms as music, behavior, cognition, and perception. Chapter 2, Why People Have Music, addresses music behavior from both individual and group/societal perspectives. The authors examine diverse views of why people have music, its origins, and the various functions of music (e.g., cultural anthropological, sociological, psychological). This chapter is noticeably expanded the previous edition. The third chapter, Functional Applications of in Contemporary Life, has also been expanded. This chapter focuses on functional applications of music in daily life in such areas as ceremony, commerce, narration, therapy, and facilitation learning (p. 164). The organizational structure remains consistent with the 4th edition, however the Music to Facilitate Nonmusical Learning appears to be a bit more in depth that the previous edition. The authors have expanded the number of citations to include the most recent contributions of such notable researchers as Hargreaves, Hodges, Levitin, and North. They also provide a thorough examination of the history of the Mozart Effect. This chapter may be of particular interest to music therapists as the authors provide a brief history of music therapy as an organization in the United States. They also address two primary approaches to music therapy-music in therapy and music as therapy-and how they relate to one another. The authors do not attempt to provide an exhaustive history of music therapy, rather they suggest specific extant resources intended to provide more specific information and in depth discussion beyond the scope of this text.Chapter 4, Psychoacoustical Foundations, addresses the complex continuum of sound production, transmission, and reception. The explanations and examples of the physiology and psychoacoustical process of perception and response are easily understood primarily due to the linear nature of the descriptions. The figures representing the sound transmission continuum (e.g. sound source to middle ear to inner ear to brain) are clear and help to provide a basic overview of the transmission/transduction process. The discussion of Pitch Phenomena is discussed in detail including pitch processing explanations from single simple and complex pitches to combination tones and interval processing. …
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Apr 1, 2014
Victoria Suha + 1
Open Access