Emotional Expression, Perception, and Induction in Music and Dance: Considering Ecologically Valid Intentions

Abstract

Cognitive and behavioral studies ranging from biomechanics to motor functions and neural mirroring explorations have extensively investigated the communication of emotions in music and dance. Recognized for their ability to convey and elicit emotions, various studies aim to validate the extent to which auditory expressive cues and embodied expressive movements are able to convey emotions. However, is expressing and evoking emotions a generalized intention of music and dance? Although much data exists based on audience responses (decoders), composers' and choreographers' (encoders) intentions beyond experimental instructions are still being determined. This paper reports two studies investigating the intention of composers and choreographers when creating new works. Results revealed that expressing emotions is not a primary goal yet a significant underlying intention. Furthermore, composers and choreographers aimed for their expressed emotions to be perceived rather than felt. Moreover, the genre conventions determined by stylistic and cultural factors influenced emotion expression, with some genres allowing more expressive cues than others, likely affecting the extent to which emotions are meaningfully conveyed. These findings point to potential cue variance between actual intentions and experiment-intended stimuli to express and thus communicate emotions. An argument for the importance of ecological validity in laboratory-based experiments is presented.