Pop Music, Preference and

Personality
J. Neville

In an attempt to clarify thinking about the musical preferences of

fourteen-year old schoolchildren, the author devised an experiment
to test the hypothesis that musical preference relates to the personality
types of extroversion and introversion, as defined by Eysenck. The
results did not confirm this hypothesis, so other factors the sex of
the subjects, the kinds of music and the chosen items themselves were
analysed and their interaction evaluated. There was no hierarchy
of factors and the conclusion is that fourteen-year-olds are able to
make judgements based on musical criteria.

Contributions to the pop music debate have tended to polarize

arguments for or against its inclusion in school music. However,
there seems to have been little serious study of adolescent
preferences in music. Why does one young person prefer a
certain type of music to another? Pop is all around us and its
impact is large. Within this field of music alone why does one
fourteen-year-old prefer disco music while another prefers
heavy metal ?
In an attempt tofilla gap that seemed to exist I embarked upon
a study to determine whether musical preferences of fourteenyear-old schoolchildren were related to personality (Neville,
1979).
It appeared feasible to base my experiment on the personality
types as delineated by Eysenck. He has divided personality into
two broad types - extroversion and introversion. He has also
provided clear-cut definitions of these types (Eysenck, 1965,
page 118).
The typical extrovert is sociable, likes parties, has many
friends, needs to have people to talk to and does not like
reading or studying by himself. He craves excitement, takes
chances, often sticks his neck out, acts on the spur of the
moment and is generally an impulsive individual. He is fond
of practical jokes, always has a ready answer and generally
likes change; he is carefree, easy-going, optimistic and likes
to 'laugh and be merry'. He prefers to keep moving and
doing things, tends to be aggressive and lose his temper
quickly; altogether his feelings are not kept under tight
control and he is not always a reliable person.
B. J. Music Ed. (1985) 2, 2, 145-152. Printed in Great Britain

http://journals.cambridge.org

Downloaded: 13 Mar 2012

145

IP address: 132.234.242.15

Pop Music, Preference and

Personality
J. Neville

The typical introvert is a quiet, retiring sort of person,

introspective, fond of books rather than people; he is
reserved and distant except to intimate friends. He tends to
plan ahead,' looks before he leaps' and distrusts the impulse
of the moment. He does not like excitement, takes matters
of everyday life with proper seriousness and likes a wellordered mode of life. He keeps his feelings under close
control, seldom behaves in an aggressive manner and does
not lose his temper easily. He is reliable, somewhat pessimistic and places great value on ethical standards.
Admittedly these characteristics make one think of the Cavaliers
(Wrong but Wromantic) versus the Roundheads (Right but
Repulsive). One could argue about these definitions ad nauseam,
and it would be foolhardy to pretend they are infallible even as
a broad guide to assessing personality types. Nevertheless, much
recent work on personality characteristics in relation to pupil
achievement has been carried out using Eysenckian terminology
and material. A practical advantage is that Eysenck's' Personality
Inventory' is easy to administer. For adolescents there is an
equivalent, Sybil Eysenck's 'Junior Personality Inventory'
(J.E.P.I. 1965). This is based on work carried out by Hans and
Sybil Eysenck and comprises a written self-administered
questionnaire of sixty questions. Each subject is asked how he
or she would react to certain situations, the responses being' yes'
or 'no'. For example the subject is asked 'Do you like plenty
of excitement going on around you?' Another question is
'Would you rather sit and watch than play at parties?' The
recorded answers to the sixty questions are then analysed and
the subject's degree of extroversion or introversion is assessed.
Once again I must point out that I am aware of the shortcomings
of such a method. Even leaving aside the problem of the
definition of the personality types already mentioned, we must
remember that, like any pen and paper test, despite anonymity
and the presence of a 'lie' factor it is possible that false
information can be given. Nevertheless, bearing in mind the
convenience of the questionnaire, its use in other experiments,
and the fact that my reservations led to the use of the questionnaire
with caution, I felt justified in basing my experiment on the
J.E.P.I. It also occurred to me that whatever results I obtained
might be compared with results using similar music examples
but different personality tests, should these become available in
a form as easy to administer as the J.E.P.I.
Mention of the music examples leads me to the core of the
study. My task wasf'tcTconstruct an experiment to test the
hypothesis that fourteen-year-old schoolchildren of extrovert
type would prefer exciting and driving music, while those defined
as introverts would prefer serious and peaceful music. The
italicised words are derived from Eysenck's terminology (driving
equals prefers to keep moving and doing things). It will be recalled
that in considering the behaviour pattern of the extrovert,
146

http://journals.cambridge.org

Downloaded: 13 Mar 2012

IP address: 132.234.242.15

Eysenck stated that he' prefers to keep moving and doing things' Pop Music, Preference and
and that he' craves excitement'. The introvert on the other hand
Personality
is ' quiet... does not like excitement, takes matters of everyday
*' e v i e
life with proper seriousness... seldom behaves in an aggressive
manner
'
It has been argued that music is capable of expressing such
concepts; Swanwick has demonstrated that music, on a general
level, is able to communicate such characteristics by means of
gestures that appear to have their biological equivalents in
human behaviour (Swanwick, 1974). The terms 'serious' and
'peaceful' are often applied to musical items, and there do seem
to be recognisable musical gestures that lend themselves to such
descriptions. Among these would be a slow tempo with a steady
but often unobtrusive rhythm, a general lack of melodic and
harmonic tension (phrases tend to contain a minimum of awkward
intervals) and a somewhat restricted dynamic range. Extremes
of volume are rare, the emphasis being on quiet sounds.
Turning to the extrovert, my addition of the word ' driving'
to the adjective ' exciting' was the result of scrutiny of the main
characteristics of extrovert behaviour postulated by Eysenck,
especially 'he prefers to keep moving'. 'Exciting' music would
involve criteria such as a rapid tempo and a predominance of loud
sounds. 'Driving' music maintains a forward thrust, sometimes
obtained by rhythmic predictability but often by rhythmic
variety - the pulse may vary but the feeling of momentum is
maintained.
To obtain musical examples that seemed to satisfy these
criteria proved very difficult. I decided to use one-minute
extracts, because intense concentration on a single item for a
longer period seems very hard for most fourteen-year-olds. In
fact, finding extracts that consistently exhibited the stipulated
criteria for even this length of time was a problem. I did not wish
to use vocal items, since words, when understood, can prejudice
a reaction to the music. When not understood they can prove
a distraction. In the end, selecting from instrumental music only,
I decided that if one set of criteria could be identified as the
dominant feature of an extract I would be able to find suitable
musical examples to correspond to the poles of extroversion and
introversion. From now on these poles will be referred to as the
dimensions, while the individual extracts will be termed the
tunes.
I chose four tunes from thefieldof pop and four from the field
of classical music. It could be argued that to choose four classical
tunes might encourage a negative response from the fourteenyear-old subjects. However, I was interested to ascertain whether
this would be the case in audition (actual listening as opposed
to verbal response). Also analysis would clarify whether there
might be a hierarchy of factors affecting preference with the
pop/classical dichotomy at or near the top. Pop and classical will
from now on be referred to as the kinds of music.
At least two tunes had to be used to represent each dimension.
147
http://journals.cambridge.org

Downloaded: 13 Mar 2012

IP address: 132.234.242.15

Pop Music, Preference and

Personality
J. Neville

Not only would it be impossible otherwise to separate tune from

dimension in the analysis, but also the use of repeated measures
has the advantage of economy; more information can be obtained
from a relatively small sample.
I was concerned to provide tunes that were unfamiliar to the
subjects to avoid any possible prejudice connected with
familiarity. It would be impossible to say that every tune was
unknown to every one of the subjects, but pilot studies suggested
that the risk of acquaintance was small. Finally, one-minute
tunes were chosen from these eight pieces. As I have already
suggested, a minute seems to be a reasonable period of time for
concentrated listening. When they were played to the subjects,
the order was randomised.

Vaughan
Williams,
Smetana,
Camel,
Santana,
Brahms,
Bruckner,
Camel,
Pink Floyd,

Tune

Kind

Dimension

1st movement
Symphony no. 6
'Sarka'
'Lunar Sea'
'Soul Sacrifice'
2nd movement
Piano Concerto
no. 1
2nd movement
Symphony no. 4
'Chord Change'
'A Pillow of
Winds'

Classical

Extrovert

Classical
Classical

Extrovert
Extrovert
Extrovert
Introvert

Classical

Introvert

Pop
Pop

Introvert
Introvert

Pop
Pop

Naturally one would not claim that the whole of the Brahms
concerto would fit one dimension. However, the extracts chosen
(in this case the very start of the slow movement) scored
positively during pilot tests designed tofindmusical extracts that
appeared to match the dimensions. This also explains the
presence of two tunes by Camel. These were totally dissimilar
in style and presentation, and so I felt justified in using both,
as they too scored positively in the pilot tests. It must be stressed
that at no time was any information given to any of the subjects
about any of the tunes.
The listening test was administered to the subjects en masse
but preserving each individual's anonymity. In order to determine
their preference rating they were asked to respond to each tune
separately in terms of liking and disliking. A simple five-point
scale was used, where one point rated low preference and five
points high preference.
The subjects were drawn from two schools, chosen to provide
contrasting social backgrounds (although it must be stressed that
class as a factor was never taken into consideration in the
experiment). I was however interested to ascertain whether there
was any significant effect on preference regarding the school
attended, which we were, of course, able to measure.
148
http://journals.cambridge.org

Downloaded: 13 Mar 2012

IP address: 132.234.242.15

School ' A' was a multiracial, inner-city comprehensive of

1,700 pupils. All of the fourteen-year-old pupils followed a
music course, in which the material was mainly pop-based.
School ' B ' was a comprehensive of 950 pupils, serving a
relatively affluent suburban semi-rural area. All of the fourteenyear-old pupils also followed a music course. In this case the
music curriculum was more ' traditional', with a greater emphasis upon literacy and appreciation, although some pop was used
for practical purposes.
The final sample comprised 93 subjects, 46 from school 'A'
and 47 from school ' B ' , randomly chosen and consisting of
fourteen-year-old boys and girls of mixed ability. Each subject
was given the J.E.P.I. and the frequency of extroversion was
measured. They were then played recordings of the eight tunes,
in random order, and asked to respond in terms of liking and
disliking. Examination of possible correlation between the measurement of extroversion of the subjects and their preference for
the eight tunes showed no significant interaction (Table 1).

Pop Music, Preference and

Personality
J" V1 e

Table 1

Tune

Extroversion
correlation
coefficient

01937
A (Pink Floyd)
B (Bruckner)
-00097
C (Camel - ' Lunar Sea')
0-606
-00548
D (Smetana)
00537
E (Vaughan Williams)
00757
F (Brahms)
G (Camel - 'Chord Change') 01439
00743
H (Santana)

Significance
level
0031 P < 005
0-463 (n.s.)
0-282 (n.s.)
0-301 (n.s.)
0-305 (n.s.)
0-235 (n.s.)
0084 (n.s.)
0-240 (n.s.)

n.s. = not significant; P < 005 = significant at 5% level.

Little notice should be taken of the significant correlation

between tune A and extroversion because of the insignificant
results of the other seven tunes. The conclusion that must be
drawn is that there appears to be no significant correlation
between a fourteen-year-old's preference for a tune and the
introvert/extrovert dimension as measured by the J.E.P.I. One
might think that an individual who is predominantly calm in
temperament would prefer music that appears to match this trait
in his or her character. But it would appear that this view has no
justification. In so far as Eysenck's types are a valid means of
assessing and measuring personality there is no guarantee that
an introvert will prefer the Brahms extract to the Smetana, or
that an extrovert will prefer the Camel tune regarded as matching
this dimension to the more peaceful Camel extract.
My interest then turned to an analysis of the other factors that
might affect the subjects' likes and dislikes. I was interested to
find out for example whether there was a significant preference
149
6

http://journals.cambridge.org

BME 2

Downloaded: 13 Mar 2012

IP address: 132.234.242.15

Pop Music, Preference and

Personality
J. Neville

for one kind of music over another (in this case pop or classical).
Similarly I wished to ascertain whether the sex of the subjects
had a significant effect on preference, or whether there were
significant differences regarding the two schools.
Table 2 reveals the only significant interactions.
Table 2
Dimension, tune, school and sex
Kind, dimension and tune
Kind and school

P < 0044
P < 0019
P < 0003

The complex interaction between the factors means that we

cannot say that, for example, girls would prefer' driving' music,
or that pupils from either school would necessarily prefer
'serious' tunes. Examination of the significance levels between
the eight tunes themselves is very revealing (Table 3).
Table 3
Classical

Pop
A

0001

0001
0001

0015
0001
0001

0016
0072
0-235
0-367

0001
0001
0170
0-340
0016

0042
0177
0073
0-347
0001
0001

0174
0-212
0-226
0011
0001
0015
0001

Italic figures = significant at P < 005.

These figures show the relationship between the preference

responses to the eight tunes by the subjects. They show that
there is no straightforward relationship between the kinds of
music (pop or classical). For example, tune A (Pink Floyd)
correlated significantly with all of the other tunes except for
Tune E (Vaughan Williams). Tunes F and G correlated significantly even though the former was classical (Brahms) and the
latter pop (Camel). These results suggest that each piece of
music was considered on its own merits, regardless of whether it
could be labelled as 'Pop' or 'Classical'. The responses do
show that the four pop items were generally preferred, although
low preference was given to all eight tunes on the five-point
scale (Table 4).
The most interesting feature of Table 4 is an examination of
the standard deviations between the responses. The range is far
greater in the four pop tunes than in the classical tunes. This
supports the view that because the idiom of the pop tunes was
more familiar the subjects were able to makefinerdiscriminations
150
http://journals.cambridge.org

Downloaded: 13 Mar 2012

IP address: 132.234.242.15

between these tunes than they were between the less familiar
norms of classical music. This suggests that familiarity might be
a very important factor in determining preference. I was not
testing this factor, but it would be interesting to include it in a
future experiment.

Pop Music, Preference and

Personality
J. Neville

Table 4
Tune

Kind

G (Camel - 'Chord Change')Pop

Pop
H (Santana)
Pop
C (Camel - 'Lunar Sea')
Pop
A (Pink Floyd)
Classical
F (Brahms)
Classical
E (Vaughan Williams)
Classical
D (Smetana)
Classical
B (Bruckner)

Mean
score

S.D.

2-9
2-8
26
2-2
1-8
1-8
1-7
1-6

1 113
1179
1058
1026
0-943
0-888
0-948
0-719

What are the implications for music education of these

findings? One clear message is that we cannot ignore the world
of pop. A decision to do so would make it very difficult for a
music teacher to have an impact on all but a small minority of
secondary pupils. Those who still maintain that pop has a
harmful influence on the musical developments of adolescents
would do well to consider that my results suggest that fourteenyear-olds are quite capable of exercising considerable powers of
discrimination, which would appear to be based on an awareness
of musical criteria within the medium; each tune was considered
on its own merits.
We might also like to consider the view that a music curriculum
based on pop will have the attraction of interesting the young
people right from the start. The results of my study would
suggest caution. The notion that fourteen-year-olds automatically prefer pop to classical is invalid. I have always taken the
view that selection of musical items for performance or analysis
should be drawn from as wide a range of musical styles as
possible. This study has confirmed my belief that the presentation
of differing types of music will, if sympathetically handled,
maintain interest and lead to the exploration of further avenues.
If familiarity is as important a factor as it appears to be in
determining preference we need to find meaningful ways of
making a large variety of the world's music available to young
people in their lessons. What is needed is more research into this
area, possibly involving work along the lines of some of the
contributors to Max Schoen's The Effects of Music, but carried
out in a much more thorough and scientific manner than was
either possible or thought necessary over half a century ago
(Schoen, 1927).
I have suggested that the factor of dimension or mood ascribed
to a tune interacts in a very complex way with other factors
151
6-2
http://journals.cambridge.org

Downloaded: 13 Mar 2012

IP address: 132.234.242.15

Pop Music, Preference and

Personality
J. Neville

including the kind of tune and the sex and school of the subjects.
The fact that the pop items were generally preferred to the
classical items should not lead us to assume that this factor (kind)
is the most important influence on preference. Once again the
complex interactions between this and the other factors show
that it would be incorrect to suggest the establishment of a
hierarchy in terms of influences. This is also due to the fact that
the subjects appeared to perceive each tune as a separate entity
to be considered on its own merits, regardless of any possible
link with dimension or kind.
This would seem to be the most positive result of my study:
the discovery that the autonomy of each musical item was
recognised by the young people. This suggests that they are able
to listen to music (albeit possibly only in small extracts) and base
their judgements on purely musical criteria, regardless of what
they might be 'expected' to think. This is very encouraging,
since it shows a respect for the sounds themselves, rather than
for any associations they might possess.
Regarding my initial hypothesis, it would seem obvious that
although personality types (as denned in Eysenckian terms) do
not appear to have a significant effect on musical preference of
adolescents, there are other areas of enquiry that could profitably
be undertaken. We might try to gauge the effects of factors such
as age, and especially familiarity with tunes on preference. It
would seem to be important to fill these gaps in our knowledge,
since music teachers would then be in a better position when it
comes to making choices about the music they wish to present
to their pupils in the classroom.

References
H. (1965) Fact and Fiction in Psychology. Harmondsworth:
Penguin.
NEVILLE, J. (1979) 'A study of musical preference among third-year
secondary school pupils with special reference to personality'.
Unpublished M.A. dissertation, University of London Institute
of Education.
SCHOEN, M. (ed.) (1927) The Effects of Music. London: Kegan Paul.
SWANWICK, K. (1974) 'Music and the education of the emotions',
British Journal of Aesthetics, 14, 2.
EYSENCK,

152
http://journals.cambridge.org

Downloaded: 13 Mar 2012

IP address: 132.234.242.15