Theta Power Differences as a Function of Level of Familiarity with a Musical Style

Abstract

Learning mechanisms are one of the primary reasons why different individuals have similar or different emotional responses to music. Existing studies largely examined mechanisms related to learning in terms of cultural familiarity or recognition. Few studies have conceptualized it in terms of an individual’s level of familiarity with musical style which could be a better reflection of an individual’s composite musical experiences. The current study thus aims to bridge this research gap by investigating the electrophysiological correlates of the effects of familiarity with musical style on musical emotions in the theta frequency band, which has been shown to be associated with processes involved in musical emotions, such as valence, attention and cognitive control.