Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

The Influence of Music-Evoked Arousal on Perceptions of AI-Generated Neutral Situations

Publication Date

2025

College

College of Sciences & Mathematics

Department

Psychological Science, Department of

SURS Faculty Advisor

Dr. Oliver

Presentation Type

Metadata Only

Abstract

Emotional valence refers to the degree to which an emotion is positive or negative, while arousal reflects the intensity of the emotional experience (Citron et al., 2014). Music is often used to study emotional valence due to its strong influence on perception. Previous research has demonstrated that faster-tempo music (>110 beats/min) produces more extreme valence ratings and higher arousal compared to slower-tempo music (< 90 beats/min) (Hofbauer & Rodriguez, 2023). While many studies focus on tempo, fewer have examined the impact of subjective music genre intensity on emotional responses. The present study aimed to identify whether arousal induced by music influenced participants’ perceptions of neutral situations generated by artificial intelligence. Fifty-seven participants were randomly assigned to one of two music conditions (heavy metal or soft jazz) and were asked to read neutral AI-generated scenarios and rate their emotional valence, while listening to music. A Pearson correlation analysis revealed no significant relationship between arousal and valence scores (p > 0.05). Similarly, a Welch’s between-subjects t-test showed no significant differences in mean valence ratings across the 10 scenarios between the two music groups (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that, music-induced arousal and genre intensity may not significantly alter participants’ emotional evaluations of neutral situations.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS