Music and Behavior

Journal for the theory of social behaviour
Oxford : Blackwell Publishers; Print began with vol. 1, no. 1 (Apr. 1971).1971
My research topic is based upon the influence music has on conversational behavior. More specifically on how music above and below 65 beats per minute affect conversations on politics and religion. This topic is heavily based on social behavior, and the music impacts how the social behavior and interaction unfolds. Sociologist George Herbert Mead believed that people develop self-images through interactions with other people. Applying this belief to my research project, I would have to strategically select people with different “self-images”, to get the most out of the conversations about politics and religion. If I gather a group of people who have the same beliefs and want to be seen in the same image, then the conversations will be bland and with little to no effect with the change in music. With a mixture of beliefs, social statuses, and values, conversation will thus shift in different directions. Now my question is will the different tempos in music change whether or not people in the group will concede to other beliefs despite their desired self-image? Or will the tempo in the music cause people to argue more strongly about their beliefs even more pushing their self image? With this theory from the journal, I would include a person who does not have a set of beliefs in the subjects of politics and religion, thus having so self-image to push in this scenario. Will the change in music influence what side this person takes in each discussion? Developing a self image is important in today’s society, so with this research project involving two topics with controversial abilities, people may dive in or get out of the pool in the conversation, in hopes to push or save their own self image because of their true beliefs.

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