A Vancouver Island University psychology student is probing the science behind human responses to music.
Mikaila Tombe, who is also a Nanaimo musician, has begun a pilot study to collect data on human responses to diverse styles of music. The project, which started last month with a call for study subjects, is the first phase of a series of studies, which Tombe hopes could one day lead to therapeutic and learning applications.
鈥淚鈥檓 really interested in how different music can impact things like our mood and energy and the possibility of how it can affect other cognitive processes as well, like cognitive attention, spatial ability and whatnot 鈥� So, right now, I鈥檓 doing a pilot study because I have to figure out what music clips I鈥檓 going to use for the main study.鈥�
Tombe鈥檚 Arousal and Valence Through Musical Stimulation pilot study will collect data about study subjects鈥� mood and arousal responses to a series of sample music selections.
鈥淵ou can think of it as an energy arousal,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e listening to music that鈥檚 really upbeat, some people would feel really energized from that, and if you鈥檙e listening to music that鈥檚 very calm or very slow, like spa music, then that, for some people, might elicit a very calming energy.鈥�
Tombe said her lifelong experience with music sparked her interest in looking at what implications music might have in education and psychology.
鈥淲hen I came here and started my studies 鈥� I got into this area of music cognition research [and] it was kind of this lightbulb moment that was, oh, wow, you can research this kind of stuff.鈥�
Tombe said people are realizing there are cognitive benefits to learning about and playing music and how it can interconnect with various ways of learning 鈥� learning about themselves and learning how to communicate and work with others.
鈥淚n my readings, I found that there seems to be a benefit to people who not only play music in general, but if you鈥檙e playing music throughout your lifespan, especially at younger ages, it seems to hold some type of benefit later on in life, especially in those STEM areas 鈥� It just applies to everything in some type of way,鈥� she said. 鈥淒own the road I鈥檇 love to do some longitudinal studies looking at the relationship between those people who have played music their entire lives and looking at different processes that are related to cognition and attention.鈥�
She is already considering ways, depending on her research results, that music might aid learning and if it has potential mental and emotional therapeutic applications. She鈥檚 interested in possible benefits of intertwining music-based educational curriculums with non-music curriculums.
鈥淢usic cognition research, it鈥檚 a growing field, but are there ways that we can add to that body of literature?鈥︹�� she asked. 鈥淐an those benefits be spread to other types of learning?鈥�
Tombe was a working musician until the COVID-19 pandemic impacted live performances, but it also gave her the opportunity to pursue a degree in psychology. The research she鈥檚 currently undertaking is for her undergraduate thesis.
鈥淩ight now the music side of my life is more writing and working in other people鈥檚 recording sessions and whatnot, which is great because I still love doing that,鈥� she said.
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chris.bush@nanaimobulletin.com
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