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Aggression, Music and
The content and messages of music lyrics is a controversy that started to gain public exposure and discussion around the 1960s, when music began to contain such themes as drug use, risky sexual behavior, and violence. In the early 1990s, this controversy surged again with the popularity of violent gangsta rap. Since then, there has been debate as to whether exposure to violent music lyrics can have a negative impact on youth.
It is no surprise that music plays a large role in the lives of American youth. Children and adolescents spend hours listening to their favorite musical artists. Musicians are often idolized by youth, as evidenced by youth imitation of fashion styles, behaviors, and product selections. A 2004 study by Gentile, Lynch, Linder, and Walsh estimated that children spend 21 hours per week listening to music—comparable to the amount of time youth spend watching television. Moreover, this may be an underestimate because music is often played in the background while other activities are taking place (e.g., doing homework, talking with friends, playing video games). Inventions such as the iPod and MP3 stick make it possible for people to listen to music almost anywhere.
Experimental Research on Violent Music Lyrics
The current research literature on the effect of violent music lyrics is rather small compared to the research on violent television or even violent video games. In addition, the findings from the few studies that have been conducted are mixed. There is some evidence that exposure to violent music can increase aggressive cognitions, affect, and various attitudes concerning violence. One possible reason for such inconsistencies in the current literature is methodological problems in the current research.
Controlling for Music Tempo Differences
Music can be divided into two primary parts: music (tempo, volume, intensity, etc.) and lyrics. Each of these components of music has been analyzed separately and together. In 1984, McFarland examined whether exposure to different tempos of nonlyrical music (tension-inducing music, relaxing music, or no music) had an effect on undergraduate listeners completing the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). In the TAT, participants view ambiguous photos and then write a story that describes what is occurring in the photo. The TAT is used to measure emotions and personality characteristics. Participants who heard high-tension music wrote the most unpleasant stories, which could indicate more negative affect.
Although this study does not address the impact of lyrics on listeners, it does demonstrate that the tempo of music can have an impact on the listener. This finding is especially important to other music research, stressing that the type and tempo of the music must be controlled to examine the impact of lyrics on the listener.
Incomprehensible Lyrics
Another issue plaguing the current literature on music violence involves the ability of participants to comprehend the lyrics in the music stimuli. In rock and rap songs, it is often difficult for the listener to decipher what the singer is actually saying. For example, a study conducted by Wanamaker and Reznikoff (1989) exposed three groups of undergraduate participants to one of three conditions: (a) a song with violent music and violent lyrics, (b) a song with violent music and nonviolent lyrics, or (c) a song with nonviolent music and nonviolent lyrics. The results found no effect of violent music lyrics on hostility. However, only 23% of the subjects exposed to the violent song with violent lyrics correctly identified the main theme of the song.
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- Violence and Aggression
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- Aggression, Music Videos and
- Aggression, Television and
- Cartoons, Violence in
- Desensitization Effects
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- Fear Reactions
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- Schemas/Scripts, Aggressive
- Sexualized Violence
- Television Violence
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