Huron

Sweet Anticipation: Music And The Psychology Of Expectation

2008 · ref. 192216 — Cambridge Massachusetts: The MIT Press 2008. Softcover. VG light wear to edges & corners; rubbing to spine ends. green & orange illustrated wraps w/ white printing. 462 pgs w/ figures charts & tables. A nice bright copy. "The psychological theory of expectation that David Huron proposes in Sweet Anticipation grew out of the author's experimental efforts to understand how music evokes emotions. These efforts evolved into a general theory of expectation that will prove informative to readers interested in cognitive science and evolutionary psychology as well as those interested in music. The book describes a set of psychological mechanisms and illustrates how these mechanisms work in the case of music. All examples of notated music can be heard on the Web." "Huron proposes that emotions evoked by expectation involve five functionally distinct response systems: reaction responses which engage defensive reflexes; tension responses where uncertainty leads to stress; prediction responses which reward accurate prediction; imagination responses which facilitate deferred gratification; and appraisal responses which occur after conscious thought is engaged. For real-world events these five response systems typically produce a complex mixture of feelings. The book identifies some of the aesthetic possibilities afforded by expectation and shows how common musical devices such as syncopation cadence meter tonality and climax exploit the psychological opportunities. The theory also provides new insights into the physiological psychology of awe laughter and spine-tingling chills. Huron traces the psychology of expectations from patterns of the physical and cultural world through our imperfectly learned heuristics used to predict that world to the phenomenal qualia we experience as we apprehend the world."--Jacket. The MIT Press paperback books