The Group Identification Effect Of Music Preference And Its Interpersonal Neural Basis

Music is an essential component of human life,possessing a distinct socialcognitive function.For instance,it serves as a reflection of our identity and connection to specific social groups.People′s liking for music is not only influenced by the musical characteristics such as complexity,but also by individual characteristics of performers and listeners.Studies have shown that listeners are more likely to appreciate music when they share the same identity with the performers,such as gender or race,indicating that shared group characteristics between performer and listener can influence music preference.However,this finding lacks consistent evidence to support it.Therefore,the scientific question that this paper aims to explore is whether and how the group identity of performer and listener impacts music preference.From the perspective of social identity theory,to examine how shared identity affects music preference,one must take into consideration the listener’s identification with their own identity.The stronger the listener’s identification with the shared identity,the greater the appreciation for the music,referred to as the "group identification effect".It remains unclear whether this effect is independent or dependent on other factors such as identity background or musical characteristics.To address this question,this paper investigates the generalizability of this effect across different identity backgrounds and its relative magnitude(Study 1).It then explores the neural level of this effect and its time course(Study 2),clarifying the brain activity patterns associated with the different components of identification involved in this effect(Study 3).The paper focuses on violin listening activities.Study 1 involves a series of behavioral experiments to investigate the influence of geographical region(Experiment1a),surname(Experiment 1b),school(Experiment 1c),and temporarily formed group identity(Experiment 1d)on music liking.Additionally,Study 2 explores the effect of group identity on music liking changes at the level of music and individuals(Experiment 2a,2b).Study 3 is a multi-brain scan experiment based on functional nearinfrared spectroscopy(f NIRS)that records the brain activity of the performer/listener during performance/listening.By analyzing brain synchronization between performer and listener,the relationship between identification and music liking under the condition of group identity(same vs.different)is compared(Experiment 3).Lastly,Study 4 is a two-time brain scan experiment based on functional magnetic resonance imaging(f MRI).Through analyzing brain similarity between listeners,the neural basis of how the two components of identification(emotion and cognition)influence music liking changes is explored(Experiment 4).In Study 1,the results of correlation analysis showed that listener identification was positively correlated with music liking in terms of geographical region,school,and temporary group identity,and this correlation only appeared under the condition of same group identity.Furthermore,based on linear mixed effects models and machine learning analyses,the findings were as followes:(1)The interaction effects between group identity and identification were significant;(2)this effect existed as the musical structure tended to be complex;(3)under the condition of same group identity,a model that combined musical features and listener’s identification had greater predictive power for music liking than a model that only considered musical features.However,the above findings did not exist in the case of surname group identity,and listeners had a lower awareness of the importance of this identity compared to other identities.The behavioral results of Study 2 once again supported the existence of this effect.Furthermore,the results of inter-brain synchronization analysis showed that there was performer-listener brain synchronization in temporal and frontal lobes.Regarding the inter-brain synchronization in the temporal lobe,there were three findings under the codition of same group identity:(1)inter-brain synchronization appeared during the44 th second of the music and could predict music liking from the 61 st second,which lasted until the end of the performance;(2)the brain activity of listener could predict that of performer 20 seconds in advance;(3)Brain synchronization was positively correlated with identification,and the former fully mediated the relationship between identification and music liking.The findings regarding the relationship between the temporal brain synchronization and music liking did not exist when the group identity was different.Additionally,there was no evidence of a relationship between the frontal brain synchronization and music liking.The behavioral results of Study 3 once again supported the existence of the group identification effect,and the interactive effects between group identity and emotional and cognitive components of identification were significant.More importantly,the results based on inter-subject and intra-subject representational similarity analysis,brain activation and functional connectivity analysese showed that emotional and cognitive components triggered different brain activity patterns,which are as follows:(1)Under the condition of same group identity,the more similar the emotional identification between listeners,the more similar the activity in the superior temporal gyrus.This brain activity could predict short-term(during the experiment)and longterm(three days later)changes in music liking.In contrast,the more similar the cognitive identification between listeners,the more similar the activity in the insula.This brain activity could predict short-term changes in music liking.(2)The representation of group identity(same vs.different)could be represented in the inferior frontal gyrus and the precuneus.The representation of the former was positively correlated with emotional identification,and it could predict short-term and long-term changes in music liking.In contrast,the representation of the later was positively correlated with cognitive identification,but it could not predict changes in music liking.(3)Under the condition of same group identity,the activation of the visual association cortex increased(second scan minus first scan).The functional connectivity strength between the visual association cortex and the inferior parietal lobe was positively correlated with emotional identification and can predict long-term changes in music liking.In contrast,no brain activation changes or functional connectivity related to cognitive identification were found.Overall,the three studies consistently supported the group identification effect on music preference.This effect relates to music complexity and listeners’ identity salience.It is also related to the temporal brain synchronization between performer and listener,and is a gradual process.Furthermore,the emotional and cognitive components of identification may lead to differences in brain activity patterns related to music preference.The emotional components relate to areas like the superior temporal gyrus,inferior frontal gyrus,visual association cortex,and inferior parietal lobe.The cognitive components mainly relate to the insula.Theoretically,the paper focuses on group characteristics and systematically expounded the influence of this factor on music preference.It proposed and established a model of group identitfication,extends the theoretical framework of music preference and understanding the social cognitive function of music.Methodologically,the paper employed techniques like f NIRS-based multi-brain scanning,f MRI-based multiple brain scans,inter-brain synchronization analysis,and inter-brain similarity analysis,revelaing the interpersonal neural basis of music preference.This provides references and guidance for future cross-disciplinary research on music and neuroscience.