Construction of an affective value scale of music and examination of relations between the scale and a multiple mood scale

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to construct a scale to measure the “affective value” of musical pieces and examine the relations between the scale and a multiple mood scale (MMS). In this paper, affective value refers to the quality and intensity of affect. First, 209 female junior college students rated 50 adjectives relevant to the affective tone of music on a five-point scale for five pieces of music. Factor analysis yielded five major factors, and 24 items with high loading on these factors were selected to construct the affective value scale of music (AVSM). Second, 226 female students rated both AVSM and MMS for the same five pieces. Factor analysis showed factor validity of AVSM, and Cronbach's coefficient alpha showed a high internal consistency of each sub-scale of AVSM. Principal component analysis and other analyses showed that there were significant relations between sub-scales of AVSM and MMS. Third, 38 female students rated the scales twice, and test-retest reliability was examined. The results suggest the utility of AVSM. © 1995, The Japanese Psychological Association. All rights reserved.