Investigating the Relationship Between Involuntary Musical Imagery and Other Forms of Spontaneous Cognition
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Investigating the Relationship Between Involuntary Musical Imagery and Other Forms of Spontaneous Cognition Georgia Aristi Floridou Department of Psychology Goldsmiths, University of London Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of London December 2015 1 Declaration of Originality I, Georgia Aristi Floridou, certify that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated. Signed Georgia Aristi Floridou Date 18/12/2015 2 Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank my wonderful supervisor, Dr Daniel Müllensiefen for his guidance and support throughout these years. I have learned so much next to him and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to benefit from the qualities of a true academic. Also my second supervisor, Professor Lauren Stewart, whose expertise and insightful comments were always valuable. At this point, I would like to thank you both for the opportunity you gave me to join the Music, Mind and Brain course and group and for allowing me to make one of my dreams come true. It has been an amazing journey! Next, I would like to thank one of the people who is responsible for me doing this PhD and for entering the world of academia, Vicky Williamson, who was first a mentor as well as a collaborator and a friend. Thank you for the endless inspiration! Huge thanks to my officemates, colleagues, and friends Dr Kelly Jakubowski and Dr Nicolas Farrugia for sharing laughs, snacks, and ideas, inside and outside university; the placement students in our group for their direct and indirect help; our chief technician Maurice Douglas for helping me organise all my studies and the lovely chats in-between. I would also like to thank the Science Museum of London and especially Corinne Burns for giving me the time and space to collect data for a pilot study at the “Who Am I?” gallery as part of the “Live Science” project. I am also thankful to all the people who took part in my studies. Without them nothing would have been possible. A big thank you to all of my friends who entered my life, either before or during the PhD, and especially Stefania for all the times we talked about my PhD but mostly for the times we were not talking about it. I will never forget them! I am grateful to my family: my mum Sofia and dad Apostolis for their enormous influence on who I am and my aunt Maria and uncle Sotiris for always supporting me. Words cannot describe how indebted I am to all of you. Σας αγαπώ και σας ευχαριστώ! And last but not least, I want to thank Malcolm for keeping me sane during this emotional roller coaster that is called a PhD. It was a hell of a ride but you were holding my hand and everything was fine at the end! 3 Abstract Music can exist without sound. In the absence of sound, the mind can, deliberately or not, recall familiar music or generate novel musical material. The ubiquitous, internal experience of music that comes to the mind unintentionally and repeats itself, known as involuntary musical imagery (INMI), constitutes the focus of the present thesis. The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between INMI and other forms of spontaneous and creative cognition in order to (a) elucidate the cognitive states preceding INMI, (b) identify individual differences related to spontaneous phenomena, and (c) describe phenomenological aspects of novel INMI. Three studies focused on the connection between INMI and spontaneous cognition. A probe-caught experience sampling and a behavioral study showed that the cognitive states associated with INMI occurrence are related to low cognitive load, as holds for other involuntary phenomena. The development of a scale measuring different INMI aspects revealed similarities with other forms of spontaneous cognition and allowed the exploration of individual differences as well as the investigation of relationships with other aspects of musical behaviors and auditory imagery abilities. A fourth, interview-based study explored the relationship between novel INMI and creative cognition and by elucidating the phenomenological aspects of the experience as well as of the translation of the inner experience to an external outcome, identified similarities with familiar INMI, voluntary musical imagery, and creative musical imagery. 4 Overall, the results of this research suggest that INMI overlaps to some extent with other forms of spontaneous and creative cognition, music perception, and voluntary musical imagery. Novel methodological tools that were developed for the purposes of this research and findings regarding the subjective evaluation of the experience and the element of repetition will also be discussed. Finally, issues related to terminology, length of the experience, research methodology, future avenues, and possible applications will be considered. 5 Table of Contents Title ................................................................................................................ 1 Declaration of Originality ................................................................................ 2 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................ 3 Abstract .......................................................................................................... 4 Table of Contents ........................................................................................... 6 List of Figures ................................................................................................ 9 List of tables ................................................................................................. 10 List of Appendices ........................................................................................ 12 Statement of Publications ............................................................................ 13 Funding ........................................................................................................ 13 Chapter 1. Music in the Mind: Literature Review .......................................... 14 1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 14 1.1 A General Introduction to Involuntary Musical Imagery ............................. 18 1.1.1 Definition and Terminology ........................................................................... 18 1.1.2 INMI Classification ....................................................................................... 19 1.2 Phenomenological Qualities ..................................................................... 23 1.2.1 Frequency .................................................................................................... 23 1.2.2 Length ......................................................................................................... 24 1.2.3 Type of Music .............................................................................................. 25 1.2.4 Musical Characteristics of the Tune .............................................................. 27 1.2.5 Part of the Tune Experienced as INMI .......................................................... 29 1.2.6 Subjective Evaluation of the INMI Experience............................................... 31 1.3 Methods and Techniques to Measure and Assess INMI ........................... 33 1.4 Individual, Environmental, and Cognitive Factors Associated with INMI ... 37 1.4.1 Individual differences ................................................................................... 37 1.4.1.1 Demographics....................................................................................... 38 1.4.1.2 Personality and Cognitive Traits ............................................................ 39 1.4.1.3 Musicality and Musical Behaviors .......................................................... 43 1.4.1.4 Mood .................................................................................................... 46 1.4.1.5 Brain Structure ...................................................................................... 47 1.4.2 Environmental Factors ................................................................................. 49 1.4.2.1 Situational Antecedents ........................................................................ 49 1.4.2.2 Triggers ................................................................................................ 50 1.4.2.3 Coping Strategies and Behaviors .......................................................... 52 1.4.2.4 Time of the day ..................................................................................... 53 1.4.3 Cognitive Mechanisms Associated with INMI ................................................ 54 1.4.3.1 How does INMI Start? ........................................................................... 54 1.4.3.2 How does INMI Start and Terminate? .................................................... 56 1.4.3.3 How is INMI Terminated? ...................................................................... 57 1.5 Questions Emerging from the Literature To-Date ..................................... 58 1.6 Theoretical Framework of the Current Thesis ........................................... 60 1.7 Thesis Objectives ..................................................................................... 61 1.7.1 Aims ...........................................................................................................