The Role of Parent-Child Bonding in Music Preference

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People listen to music to fulfill a variety of needs such as emotional comfort, social bonding, and leisurely enjoyment (Brown, 2006; Wang, Peterson, & Morphey, 2007). The concept of how music preferences are formed has called into question biological predispositions and social conformity (Carpentier, Knobloch, & Zillmann, 2003; Schäfer & Sedlmeier, 2010), however parental influence on choosing music preferences has largely been ignored. The impact of parental music preferences and the strength of the parent-child relationship on children’s music choices can help lead to new information about how parents can be a positive role model for their children in other lifestyle choices that may have persisting consequences. The study by Wang, Peterson, and Morphey (2007) showed that although seventh grade students made short-term decisions such as clothing style and music preference from the influence of their peers, they made decisions with long-term consequences such as alcohol use and smoking from the influence of their parents. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of parent-child bonding and parental music preferences and if there is a relationship to how children choose the music they enjoy.
Music preference has a large impact on our everyday lives, whether it is music we choose to listen to, the song on a television commercial, or the song that comes on the radio while driving to and from work. The age-old question of whether music preference determines behavior or behavior determines music preference then comes into question. The type of music listened to can be a determinant of behavior. Our behaviors then lead to associations with the song and the associations, whether good or bad, then lead to whether or not the m...

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... experimental design would help with the generalization and accuracy of the results. Examining other roles that can influence music preference would be helpful as well. Instead of looking only at biological parents and long term caregivers, questioning the impact of siblings, step-parents, and peers would provide greater insight as well. Also, looking at the research from a different angle could possibly produce more information on how music preferences developed. Instead of examining the parental impact on music preferences of their children, examining how music preferences of the children impact the parents could produce interesting results as well. As much as music plays a role in our daily lives, whether we listen to it by choice or hear it in passing, understanding how music preferences are developed can help us to better understand the creation of self-image.

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