IELTS Reading 練習 10 音樂偏好心理學（含題目+詳解）

The Psychology of Music Preference

Why one listener adores an acoustic ballad while another is energised by heavy metal is a question that has occupied psychologists for several decades. Research into musical preference sits at the intersection of personality studies, developmental psychology and cultural sociology, and no single factor explains the variation observed across individuals.

A widely cited series of studies by psychologists Peter Rentfrow and Samuel Gosling at the University of Texas, published between 2003 and 2011, proposed that preferences cluster into four broad dimensions: reflective and complex (jazz, classical, folk), intense and rebellious (rock, alternative, heavy metal), upbeat and conventional (country, pop), and energetic and rhythmic (hip-hop, electronic, soul). Listeners who scored highly on openness to experience in personality tests tended to prefer the first category, while those high in extraversion gravitated towards the fourth.

Developmental factors also play a strong role. Across several longitudinal studies, the music an individual listens to between the ages of fourteen and twenty-four appears to shape lifelong preferences more powerfully than exposure at any other age. Psychologists refer to this phenomenon as the "reminiscence bump": songs from one's late adolescence retain emotional resonance decades later, even when objective taste has broadened. This effect is robust across cultures and explains why most people describe their favourite music as that of their youth.

Cultural setting introduces a further layer. A 2018 cross-national study of 43 countries found that preferences for rhythmic complexity varied systematically with musical traditions. Listeners raised in regions with polyrhythmic heritage, such as West Africa or parts of Brazil, showed greater tolerance for and enjoyment of syncopated patterns than listeners from regions with simpler rhythmic conventions. The study controlled for age, income and education, reinforcing the conclusion that early cultural exposure matters independently of demographic variables.

Not all findings are settled. Some researchers argue that streaming algorithms are now a major force reshaping preference, potentially narrowing taste through recommendation feedback loops. Others contend that access to global catalogues is instead broadening exposure. Resolving this debate will likely require another generation of longitudinal data.

1. Music preference can be fully explained by a single psychological factor.
2. Rentfrow and Gosling identified four broad categories of musical taste.
3. The reminiscence bump is found only in Western cultures.
4. The 2018 cross-national study covered more than forty countries.

1. According to the passage, listeners high in openness to experience tend to prefer:

- A. country and pop - B. hip-hop and electronic - C. rock and heavy metal - D. jazz, classical and folk

1. The writer presents the effect of streaming algorithms as:

- A. clearly narrowing musical taste - B. clearly broadening musical taste - C. an unresolved debate - D. irrelevant to preference research

Match each statement 7-10 with the correct concept A-D.

• A. reflective and complex preferences
• B. the reminiscence bump
• C. polyrhythmic heritage
• D. streaming algorithms

1. associated with listeners scoring high on openness to experience
2. linked to lifelong emotional attachment to music from adolescence
3. may lead to narrower taste through recommendation loops
4. makes listeners more tolerant of syncopated patterns

1. FALSE Supporting sentence: "no single factor explains the variation observed across individuals". Directly contradicts "fully explained by a single psychological factor".

2. TRUE Supporting sentence: "preferences cluster into four broad dimensions". Four dimensions = four broad categories. Direct paraphrase.

3. FALSE Supporting sentence: "This effect is robust across cultures". "Across cultures" contradicts "only in Western cultures".

4. TRUE Supporting sentence: "A 2018 cross-national study of 43 countries". 43 > 40, directly supported.

5. D — jazz, classical and folk Supporting sentence: "Listeners who scored highly on openness to experience in personality tests tended to prefer the first category" — and the first category is "reflective and complex (jazz, classical, folk)".

6. C — an unresolved debate Supporting sentence: "Some researchers argue that streaming algorithms are now a major force ... Others contend that access to global catalogues is instead broadening exposure. Resolving this debate will likely require another generation of longitudinal data". The word "debate" and "resolving" signal uncertainty. Options A and B are traps (each represents only one side).

7. A — reflective and complex preferences Supporting sentence: "Listeners who scored highly on openness to experience ... tended to prefer the first category". The first category is reflective and complex.

8. B — the reminiscence bump Supporting sentence: "songs from one's late adolescence retain emotional resonance decades later". "Lifelong attachment" = "decades later".

9. D — streaming algorithms Supporting sentence: "streaming algorithms ... potentially narrowing taste through recommendation feedback loops". Direct match.

10. C — polyrhythmic heritage Supporting sentence: "Listeners raised in regions with polyrhythmic heritage ... showed greater tolerance for and enjoyment of syncopated patterns". Direct paraphrase.