How Can Accommodation Be Enchanced? The Role of Analytical and Emotional Music Reception

The dual-process model of development regulation (Brandtstädter & Rothermund, 2002a) proposes that accommodation (flexible goal adjustment) contributes to well-being and successful development. A cognitive mindset characterized by a divergent thinking mode should facilitate accommodative processes. Two studies were conducted to examine the relationship between accommodative mechanisms and music reception. Study 1 (training study; N = 79) investigates whether such a mindset can be induced by attentive-analytical music reception (simultaneously focusing various musical parameters). Two groups of students were trained to listen to music or view art in a complex way. Results showed group differences in the preferences for the stimuli presented. These preferences were correlated with accommodation. The findings from Study 2 (cross-sectional; N = 470) showed a significant relationship between attentive-analytical music reception and accommodation. Furthermore, the interplay between analytical and affective music reception seemed to play an important role in this process. Further studies are needed to examine how the training could be implemented into fields of practice in which developmental regulation processes are relevant (e.g., support groups, psycho-therapy, adult education settings, and lifelong learning).