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Music Perception

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Individual Differences Predict Patterns in Spontaneous Involuntary Musical Imagery
Daniel Müllensiefen, Joshua Fry, Rhiannon Jones, Sagar Jilka, Lauren Stewart, Victoria J Williamson
Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 31 No. 4, December 2012; (pp. 323-338) DOI: 10.1525/mp.2014.31.4.323
Daniel Müllensiefen
Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Joshua Fry
Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Rhiannon Jones
University of Winchester, Winchester, United Kingdom
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Sagar Jilka
Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
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Lauren Stewart
Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Victoria J Williamson
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Luzern, Switzerland and University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Abstract

Involuntary musical imagery (INMI) describes the everyday phenomenon of having a tune stuck in the head. Research has established the ubiquity of this form of spontaneous cognition but the predictive role of individual differences is still debated. This study examines the impact of everyday musical behaviors and subclinical obsessive compulsive attributes on INMI experiences. In total 1,536 participants completed three online questionnaires; a novel inventory of musical behavior and INMI, and a standardized obsessive compulsion (OC) inventory. Exploratory factor analysis (N = 512) and structural equation modelling (N = 1,024) were applied. Everyday singing and music listening positively predict length and frequency of reported INMI episodes, respectively. No relationships were found with musical training. High OC was positively related to INMI frequency and disturbance, but only indirectly to INMI episode length and unpleasantness. The identified contributory factors of INMI experiences are discussed in the context of musical memory and spontaneous mental activity.

  • involuntary musical imagery
  • “earworms,”
  • spontaneous cognition
  • obsessive-compulsive behaviors
  • mental imagery
  • Received January 30, 2013.
  • Accepted June 25, 2013.
  • © 2014 by The Regents of the University of California

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Vol. 31 No. 4, December 2012

Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal: 31 (4)
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Individual Differences Predict Patterns in Spontaneous Involuntary Musical Imagery
Daniel Müllensiefen, Joshua Fry, Rhiannon Jones, Sagar Jilka, Lauren Stewart, Victoria J Williamson
Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 31 No. 4, December 2012; (pp. 323-338) DOI: 10.1525/mp.2014.31.4.323
Daniel Müllensiefen
Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Joshua Fry
Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Rhiannon Jones
University of Winchester, Winchester, United Kingdom
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Sagar Jilka
Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
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Lauren Stewart
Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Victoria J Williamson
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Luzern, Switzerland and University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Individual Differences Predict Patterns in Spontaneous Involuntary Musical Imagery
Daniel Müllensiefen, Joshua Fry, Rhiannon Jones, Sagar Jilka, Lauren Stewart, Victoria J Williamson
Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 31 No. 4, December 2012; (pp. 323-338) DOI: 10.1525/mp.2014.31.4.323
Daniel Müllensiefen
Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Joshua Fry
Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Rhiannon Jones
University of Winchester, Winchester, United Kingdom
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Sagar Jilka
Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
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Lauren Stewart
Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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Victoria J Williamson
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Luzern, Switzerland and University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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