Is there a peak in popular music preference at a certain song-specific age? A replication of Holbrook & Schindler’s 1989 study

Abstract

This is a replication and further interpretation of Holbrook and Schindler's study "Some Exploratory Findings on the Development of Musical Tastes" from 1989. Holbrook and Schindler's investigation has been widely acknowledged in music psychology as well as in consumer research and has helped further the assumption that people generally cling to music and other cultural objects they get to know in late adolescence/early adulthood. In the current replication study, a peak in musical preference across songspecific age could be confirmed, but it shifted from 23.47 years in the original study to 17.36 years in the replication. This could possibly be explained by subjects' earlier exposure to music and increased media familiarity. However, it could be shown that preferences at these peaks do not significantly differ from preferences at other ages. Also, the inverted U-shaped curve featured in the original study could not be observed among individuals' ratings, which tend to prefer music which is either gradually older or else gradually younger than themselves. The U-shaped curve seems to emerge as an artefact of combining two types of rather linear data into one chart. In fact, no empirical evidence remains to sustain the overall cultural assumption which has its basis in Holbrook and Schindler's study. It might still be valid, as evidenced by people having experienced the generation effect individually, but alternative research strategies will have to be developed to provide its empirical confirmation.

Age trends in musical preferences in adulthood: 1. Conceptualization and empirical investigation

“…Recent evidence in music psychology research has revealed that musical preferences continue to evolve during adulthood (Bonneville-Roussy et al, 2013), thereby contradicting previous findings in the area (e.g. Hemming, 2013;Holbrook & Schindler, 1989). Age trends in musical preferences have been subject to much debate, and very few studies have systematically investigated these differences.…”

The self-defining period in autobiographical memory: Evidence from a long-running radio show

“…They invited 108 participants to rate 28 popular songs released between 1932 and 1986 and demonstrated an inverted U-shaped curve, such that preference ratings peaked for songs that had been released at the age of 24 years. Numerous studies have found this same pattern of a greater liking of songs released during the SP (e.g., Hemming, 2013 ; Janssen et al, 2007 ; Krumhansl, 2017 ). Other researchers have focussed more specifically on the ability to recognise music from different eras and the extent to which music activates the retrieval of autobiographical memories (e.g., Cady et al, 2008 ; Schulkind et al, 1999 ).…”

Música en la vida de los adolescentes

“…En síntesis, la música considerada significativa durante la adolescencia pareciera ser la más importante de nuestras vidas (North y Hargreaves, 2002). Más allá de la etapa adolescente y juvenil, los oyentes adultos continúan mostrando una preferencia general por los artistas o músicos que fueron populares durante su adolescencia tardía o adultez temprana (Haack 1988;Hemming 2013;Holbrook y Schindler 1989;North y Hargreaves 1995). Este hecho, de algún modo confirma la importancia de acrecentar las opciones de escucha en esta etapa de la vida y específicamente en enseñanza media.…”