@article{SteffensWilczekWeinzierl2021, author = {Steffens, Jochen and Wilczek, Tobias and Weinzierl, Stefan}, title = {Junk Food or Haute Cuisine to the Ear? - Investigating the Relationship Between Room Acoustics, Soundscape, Non-Acoustical Factors, and the Perceived Quality of Restaurants}, series = {Frontiers in Built Environment}, volume = {676009}, journal = {Frontiers in Built Environment}, publisher = {Frontiers}, issn = {2297-3362}, doi = {10.3389/fbuil.2021.676009}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-32115}, pages = {11}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Sound and music are well-studied aspects of the quality of experience in restaurants; the role of the room acoustical conditions, their influence on the visitors' soundscape evaluation and their impact on the overall customer satisfaction in restaurants, however, has received less scientific attention. The present field study therefore investigated whether sound pressure level, reverberation time, and soundscape pleasantness can predict factors associated with overall restaurant quality. In total, 142 persons visiting 12 restaurants in Berlin rated relevant acoustical and non-acoustical factors associated with restaurant quality. Simultaneously, the A-weighted sound pressure level (LA,eq,15) was measured, and the reverberation time in the occupied state (T20,occ) was obtained by measurements performed in the unoccupied room and a subsequent calculation of the occupied condition according to DIN 18041. Results from linear mixed-effects models revealed that both the LA,eq,15 and T20,occ had a significant influence on soundscape pleasantness and eventfulness, whereby the effect of T20,occ was meditated by the LA,eq,15. Also, the LA,eq,15 as well as soundscape pleasantness were significant predictors of overall restaurant quality. A comprehensive structural equation model including both acoustical and non-acoustical factors, however, indicates that the effect of soundscape pleasantness on overall restaurant quality is mediated by the restaurant's atmosphere. Our results support and extend previous findings which suggest that the acoustical design of restaurants involves a trade-off between comfort and liveliness, depending on the desired character of the place.}, language = {en} } @article{VersuemerSteffensBlaettermannetal.2020, author = {Vers{\"u}mer, Siegbert and Steffens, Jochen and Bl{\"a}ttermann, Patrick and Becker-Schweitzer, J{\"o}rg}, title = {Modelling evaluations of low-level sounds in everyday situations using linear machine learning for variable selection}, series = {Frontiers in Psychology}, volume = {11}, journal = {Frontiers in Psychology}, publisher = {Frontiers}, issn = {1664-1078}, doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570761}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-23779}, year = {2020}, language = {en} } @article{LepaSteffensHerzogetal.2020, author = {Lepa, Steffen and Steffens, Jochen and Herzog, Martin and Egermann, Hauke}, title = {Popular Music as Entertainment Communication: How Perceived Semantic Expression Explains Liking of Previously Unknown Music}, series = {Media and Communication}, volume = {8}, journal = {Media and Communication}, number = {3}, publisher = {Cogitatio}, doi = {10.17645/mac.v8i3.3153}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-23602}, pages = {191 -- 204}, year = {2020}, language = {en} } @article{AngladaTortMastersSteffensetal.2022, author = {Anglada-Tort, Manuel and Masters, Nikhil and Steffens, Jochen and North, Adrian and M{\"u}llensiefen, Daniel}, title = {The Behavioural Economics of Music: Systematic review and future directions}, series = {Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology}, volume = {76}, journal = {Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology}, number = {5}, publisher = {SAGE}, isbn = {1747-0218}, issn = {1747-0226}, doi = {10.1177/17470218221113761}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Music-related decision-making encompasses a wide range of behaviours including those associated with listening choices, composition and performance, and decisions involving music education and therapy. Although research programmes in psychology and economics have contributed to an improved understanding of music-related behaviour, historically, these disciplines have been unconnected. Recently, however, researchers have begun to bridge this gap by employing tools from behavioural economics. This article contributes to the literature by providing a discussion about the benefits of using behavioural economics in music-decision research. We achieve this in two ways. First, through a systematic review, we identify the current state of the literature within four key areas of behavioural economics-heuristics and biases, social decision-making, behavioural time preferences, and dual-process theory. Second, taking findings of the literature as a starting point, we demonstrate how behavioural economics can inform future research. Based on this, we propose the Behavioural Economics of Music (BEM), an integrated research programme that aims to break new ground by stimulating interdisciplinary research in the intersection between music, psychology, and economics.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{vonBergSchwoererPrinzetal.2023, author = {von Berg, Markus and Schw{\"o}rer, Paul and Prinz, Lukas and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Analysis of physical and perceptual properties of room impulse responses: development of an online tool}, series = {Forum Acusticuum 2023: 10th Convention of European Acoustics Association, Turin, Italy, 11th-15th September 2023}, booktitle = {Forum Acusticuum 2023: 10th Convention of European Acoustics Association, Turin, Italy, 11th-15th September 2023}, publisher = {EAA}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-41955}, pages = {8}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Over the past decades, research in room acoustics has established several derivative measures of an impulse response, some of which are incorporated in the ISO 3382 standards. These parameters intend to represent perceptual qualities, but were developed without a consistent modeling of room acoustical perception. More recent research proposed comprehensive inventories of room acoustic perception that are purely based on evaluations by human subjects, such as the Room Acoustical Quality Index (RAQI). In this work RA-QI scores acquired for 70 room impulse responses were predicted from room acoustical parameters. Except for Reverberance, the prediction of RAQI factors performed rather poor. In most cases, the sound source had a greater impact on RAQI scores. All analyses are published in an online tool, where users can upload omnidirectional and binaural impulse responses, and instantly obtain and visualize several physical descriptors, as well as predicted RAQI scores for three different sound sources. So far, acceptable prediction accuracy is achieved for Reverberance, Strength, Irregular Decay, Clarity and Intimacy. Larger data sets of evaluated impulse responses are required to improve the model performance and enable reliable predictions of room acoustical quality. Therefore, the administration of RAQI evaluations within the website is currently being developed.}, language = {en} } @unpublished{PtasczynskiBlaettermannGrebetal.2023, author = {Ptasczynski, Lena Esther and Bl{\"a}ttermann, Patrick and Greb, Fabian and Sterzer, Philipp and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {The vibe of musical and social reward: Listening to beat-based music acts as a surrogate for socioemotional support during the Covid-19 pandemic}, series = {Research Square}, journal = {Research Square}, edition = {v1}, publisher = {Research Square}, doi = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-2529116/v1}, pages = {34}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Music listening is subjectively efficient in surrogating socioemotional needs during the Covid-19 pandemic, although underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We here challenge the generalizability of music-based coping by testing whether the insufficient satisfaction of distinct needs during the first lockdown entails enhanced listening to beat-based music with medium complexity (BBMMC) stimulating the cortico-striatal reward circuit and triggering oxytocinergic propagation. A Quasi-Bayesian mediation analysis on open-source data revealed that, across 11 European countries, more severe social distancing measures evoke a decline in experienced social provision (SP), in turn provoking BBMMC preferences. The latter was best predicted by the SP dimensions of social reward and attachment, suggesting that the partial overlap in neurophysiological processing at dopaminergic and oxytocinergic sites enables BBMMC to specifically alleviate these socioemotional needs, which has important implications for the development of mental health interventions. Finally, a stress-alleviating effect of BBMMC was found pointing towards HPA-activity modulation through music listening.}, subject = {Psychoakustik}, language = {en} } @article{RuthHantschelLoepthienetal.2024, author = {Ruth, Nicolas and Hantschel, Florian and Loepthien, Tim and Randall, Will M. and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {The relation between technology acceptance and music listening: An experience sampling study}, series = {Jahrbuch Musikpsychologie}, volume = {32}, journal = {Jahrbuch Musikpsychologie}, publisher = {Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID)}, issn = {2569-5665}, doi = {10.5964/jbdgm.181}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-44662}, pages = {1 -- 10}, year = {2024}, abstract = {In the intersection of technology and music listening, understanding user experiences is paramount. This research employed the Experience Sampling Method via the smartphone app MuPsych to continuously capture real-time data on individuals' music listening behaviors and related emotional responses. Over a span of two weeks, participants from Germany were prompted to report on various factors as they engaged in music listening, resulting in a rich dataset. Results indicate that Spotify Premium was the most frequently used music application, with personal playlists being the preferred listening format. To unravel the intricacies of these responses and their determinants, linear mixed-effects model analysis was utilized. Among the critical findings, the Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use, two of the central constructs of the Technology Acceptance Model, emerged as significant predictors for the valence and enjoyment of the music experienced by users during the onset of music listening sessions. This highlights the imperative role of user-friendly interfaces in enhancing positive emotional states even before fully engaging with the music, underscoring the need for designers and developers of music-related apps to prioritise usability and useful functions.}, language = {en} } @article{HunkeHuberSteffens2025, author = {Hunke, Til and Huber, Florian and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {The Evolution of Song Lyrics: An NLP-Based Analysis of Popular Music in Germany from 1954 to 2022}, series = {Music \& Science}, volume = {8}, journal = {Music \& Science}, publisher = {Sage Publications}, issn = {2059-2043}, doi = {10.1177/20592043251331155}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-52618}, pages = {20}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Music is an indispensable cultural product, reflecting changes in social, psychological, and cultural contexts. This study analyzes the historical evolution of topics and conveyed affect in popular music lyrics in Germany from 1954 to 2022, using LDA-based topic modeling and transformer-based sentiment analysis. These results show that Love \& Relationships is the most referenced topic, with Dreams \& Longings prominent until the mid-1960s and Society \& Status rising from 2017. The sentiment analysis reveals a significant decline in positive sentiment since the mid-1960s, accompanied by increases in negative, ambiguous, and neutral sentiments. These trends may reflect broader societal changes, including shifts in cultural values, rising individualism, and increasing mental health issues. The study highlights the evolving nature of popular music and its reflection of social dynamics.}, subject = {Popmusik}, language = {en} } @article{ErdmannvonBergSteffens2025, author = {Erdmann, Matthias and von Berg, Markus and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Development and evaluation of a mixed reality music visualization for a live performance based on music information retrieval}, series = {Frontiers in Virtual Reality}, volume = {6}, journal = {Frontiers in Virtual Reality}, publisher = {Frontiers}, issn = {2673-4192}, doi = {10.3389/frvir.2025.1552321}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-51110}, pages = {18}, year = {2025}, abstract = {The present study explores the development and evaluation of a mixed reality music visualization for a live music performance. Real-time audio analysis and crossmodal correspondences were used as design guidelines for creating the visualization, which was presented through a head-mounted-display. To assess the impact of the music visualization on the audience's aesthetic experience, a baseline visualization was designed, featuring the same visual elements but with random changes of color and movement. The audience's aesthetic experience of the two conditions (i.e., listening to the same song with different visualizations) was assessed using the Aesthetic Emotions Scale (AESTHEMOS) questionnaire. Additionally, participants answered questions regarding the perceived audiovisual congruence of the stimuli and questionnaires about individual musicality and aesthetic receptivity. The results show that the visualization controlled by real-time audio analysis was associated with a slightly enhanced aesthetic experience of the audiovisual composition compared to the randomized visualization, thereby supporting similar findings reported in the literature. Furthermore, the tested personal characteristics of the participants did not significantly affect aesthetic experience. Significant correlations between these characteristics and the aesthetic experience were observed only when the ratings were averaged across conditions. An open interview provided deeper insights into the participants' overall experiences of the live music performance. The results of the study offer insights into the development of real-time music visualization in mixed reality, examines how the specific audiovisual stimuli employed influence the aesthetic experience, and provides potential technical guidelines for creating new concert formats.}, subject = {Virtuelle Realit{\"a}t}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{VonBergSchwoererPrinzetal.2023, author = {Von Berg, Markus and Schw{\"o}rer, Paul and Prinz, Lukas and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Analysis of physical and perceptual properties of room impulse responses: development of an online tool}, series = {Proceedings of the 10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association Forum Acusticum 2023, September 11 - 15, 2023,Torino, Italy}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association Forum Acusticum 2023, September 11 - 15, 2023,Torino, Italy}, editor = {Astolfi, Arianna and Asdrubali, Francesco and Shtrepi, Louena}, publisher = {European Acoustics Association}, address = {Turin, Italy}, isbn = {978-88-88942-67-4}, issn = {2221-3767}, doi = {10.61782/fa.2023.0480}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-47929}, pages = {1647 -- 1654}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Over the past decades, research in room acoustics has established several derivative measures of an impulse response, some of which are incorporated in the ISO 3382 standards. These parameters intend to represent perceptual qualities, but were developed without a consistent modeling of room acoustical perception. More recent research proposed comprehensive inventories of room acoustic perception that are purely based on evaluations by human subjects, such as the Room Acoustical Quality Index (RAQI). In this work RAQI scores acquired for 70 room impulse responses were predicted from room acoustical parameters. Except for Reverberance, the prediction of RAQI factors performed rather poor. In most cases, the sound source had a greater impact on RAQI scores. All analyses are published in an online tool, where users can upload omnidirectional and binaural impulse responses, and instantly obtain and visualize several physical descriptors, as well as predicted RAQI scores for three different sound sources. So far, acceptable prediction accuracy is achieved for Reverberance, Strength, Irregular Decay, Clarity and Intimacy. Larger data sets of evaluated impulse responses are required to improve the model performance and enable reliable predictions of room acoustical quality. Therefore, the administration of RAQI evaluations within the website is currently being developed.}, subject = {Raumakustik}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SteffensWeinzierl2023, author = {Steffens, Jochen and Weinzierl, Stefan}, title = {Noise for dinner - Towards a comprehensive statistical model of the acoustical and overall quality of restaurants}, series = {Proceedings of the 10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association Forum Acusticum 2023, September 11 - 15, 2023,Torino, Italy}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association Forum Acusticum 2023, September 11 - 15, 2023,Torino, Italy}, editor = {Astolfi, Arianna and Asdrubali, Francesco and Shtrepi, Louena}, publisher = {European Acoustics Association}, address = {Turin, Italy}, isbn = {978-88-88942-67-4}, issn = {2221-3767}, doi = {10.61782/fa.2023.0483}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-47908}, pages = {3325 -- 3327}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Studies on noise in restaurants have shown a multitude of potential negative effects, for example related to mood, overall satisfaction, intended revisit, the ability to communicate and the actual behaviour in the room. In this paper, we investigated the complex interplay between room acoustics, soundscape evaluation, non-acoustical aspects of a restaurant visit and overall restaurant quality. Based on acoustical measurements and reports from 142 persons visiting 12 restaurants in Berlin, we propose a structural equation model including both acoustical and non- acoustical factors and yielding a good overall fit. The model, for instance, suggests that the A-weighted sound level negatively impacts the assessment of overall restaurant quality, while the effect of soundscape pleasantness on overall restaurant quality is mediated by the restaurant's perceived atmosphere. Moreover, the reverberation time was found to be effective predominantly through its effect on sound strength, which leads patrons to increasingly raise their speech level to ensure intelligibility. These results thus emphasize the need to design actively the restaurant's acoustical atmosphere beyond pure loudness reduction which involves a specific trade-off between comfort and liveliness, depending on the desired character of the place.}, subject = {European Acoustics Association}, language = {en} } @article{vonBergHimmeleinSteffens2024, author = {von Berg, Markus and Himmelein, Hendrik and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Effects of noise sensitivity and listening effort on perceptual ratings of background noise}, series = {JASA Express Letters}, volume = {8}, journal = {JASA Express Letters}, number = {4}, publisher = {AIP Publishing}, issn = {2691-1191}, doi = {10.1121/10.0028201}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-45747}, pages = {7}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Previous research suggests that noise sensitivity is related to inefficient auditory processing that might increase the mental load of noise and affect noise evaluation. This assumption was tested in an experiment using a dual-task paradigm with a visual primary task and an auditory secondary task. Results showed that participants' noise sensitivity was positively correlated with mental effort. Furthermore, mental effort mediated the effect of noise sensitivity on loudness and unpleasantness ratings. The results thus support the idea that noise sensitivity is related to increased mental effort and difficulties in filtering auditory information and that situational factors should be considered.}, language = {en} } @article{VersuemerSteffensWeinzierl2023, author = {Vers{\"u}mer, Siegbert and Steffens, Jochen and Weinzierl, Stefan}, title = {Day-to-day loudness assessments of indoor soundscapes: Exploring the impact of loudness indicators, person, and situation}, series = {The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America}, volume = {153}, journal = {The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America}, number = {5}, publisher = {Acoustical Society of America (ASA)}, issn = {0001-4966}, doi = {10.1121/10.0019413}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-46127}, pages = {2956 -- 2972}, year = {2023}, abstract = {This study investigates loudness perception in real-world contexts using predictors related to the sound, situation, or person. In the study, 105 participants recorded 6594 sound environments in their homes, which were then evaluated based on the Experience Sampling Method. Hierarchical linear regressions using a loudness level based on ISO 532-1 allowed for obtaining the best model fits for predicting perceived loudness and explaining the highest variance. LAeq and LAF5 provided comparable results and may require less computational effort. However, the analysis shows that only one-third of the variance explained by fixed effects was attributable to the loudness level. Sixteen percent stemmed from perceived properties of the soundscape; 1\% were attributable to relatively temporally stable, person-related predictors like participants' age; non-auditory situational predictors made no additional contribution. The results thus did not confirm previous findings on loudness perception under laboratory conditions, emphasizing the importance of the situational context. Along with the current paper, a comprehensive dataset, including the assessed person-related, situational, and sound-related measures as well as LAeq time-series and third-octave spectrograms, is provided to enable further research on sound perception, indoor soundscapes, and emotion.}, subject = {Lautwahrnehmung}, language = {en} } @article{SteffensDinneenDonneretal.2024, author = {Steffens, Jochen and Dinneen, Jesse David and Donner, Sascha and Potthoff, Tom}, title = {'Alexa, play metal': exploring music selection and personal information management via voice assistants}, series = {Information Research an international electronic journal}, volume = {29}, journal = {Information Research an international electronic journal}, number = {2}, publisher = {University of Boras, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT}, issn = {1368-1613}, doi = {10.47989/ir292646}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-44639}, pages = {50 -- 70}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Introduction. Music streaming services have changed how music is played and perceived, but also how it is managed by individuals. Voice interfaces to such services are becoming increasingly common, for example through voice assistants on mobile and smart devices, and have the potential to further change personal music management by introducing new beneficial features and new challenges. Method. To explore the implications of voice assistants for personal music listening and management we surveyed 248 participants online and in a lab setting to investigate (a) in which situations people use voice assistants to play music, (b) how the situations compare to established activities common during non-voice assistant music listening, and (c) what kinds of commands they use. Analysis. We categorised 653 situations of voice assistant use, which reflect differences to non-voice assistant music listening, and established 11 command types, which mostly reflect finding or refinding activities but also indicate keeping and organisation activities. Results. Voice assistants have some benefits for music listening and personal music management, but also a notable lack of support for traditional personal information management activities, like browsing, that are common when managing music. Conclusion. Having characterised the use of voice assistants to play music, we consider their role in personal music management and make suggestions for improved design and future research.}, language = {en} } @article{HimmeleinvonBergPoerschmannetal.2025, author = {Himmelein, Hendrik and von Berg, Markus and P{\"o}rschmann, Christoph and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Influence of mental effort on sound evaluations in virtual and real experimental environments}, series = {Frontiers in Virtual Reality}, volume = {6}, journal = {Frontiers in Virtual Reality}, publisher = {Frontiers Media SA}, issn = {2673-4192}, doi = {10.3389/frvir.2025.1672595}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-57985}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Psychoacoustic research increasingly relies on virtual reality (VR) to account for the complexity of acoustic scenarios and enhance the ecological validity of laboratory findings. However, recent studies suggest that virtual environments can alter mental effort compared to real-world settings, for example, through increased perceptual complexity which in turn may affect auditory perception.This could bias experimental outcomes and compromise the ecological validity of studies conducted in VR. To investigate this, a 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment was conducted to assess whether VR environments increase mental effort and thereby influence auditory perception. A real office environment was visually reconstructed in Unity and presented to the participants via a head-mounted display (HMD) and compared to its real counterpart. Participants in both environments were asked to retrospectively rate the loudness and unpleasantness of dynamically rendered binaural office noise scenarios presented via headphones and to report perceived sound sources. Moreover, participants were divided into two groups to induce different levels of mental effort. One group was asked to listen only to the sounds, while the other performed the Stroop Color-Word interference test in parallel. The results show no significant difference in the overall induced mental effort between environment conditions. Furthermore, performing the Stroop test had an effect on loudness and unpleasantness that was mediated by subjective effort. The results also suggest that auditory jugment depend primarily on individual sound properties, regardless of the visual environment.}, subject = {Psychoakustik}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{vonBergPrinzSteffens2022, author = {von Berg, Markus and Prinz, Lukas and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Comparing individual perception of timbre and reverberance}, publisher = {International Commission for Acoustics}, address = {Gyeoungju, S{\"u}dkorea}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-38706}, pages = {5}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Room reverberation alters the spatial impression and timbre of a sound by modulating its spectral and temporal characteristics. Thus, we argue that, on a perceptual level, reverberation basically breaks down into interaural differences and spectro-temporal cues and that the separation of a perceived timbre into a sound source and a surrounding room is a purely cognitive process. To investigate the connection between the perception of reverberation cues and timbre analysis, the sensitivity for changes in reverberation was compared to timbre perception abilities. The Timbre Perception Test was used to measure the perception of the temporal envelope, spectral centroid, and spectral flux of artificial sounds. Sensitivity for changes in reverberation time was tested with a discrimination task using speech and noise with speech-alike spectral and temporal envelopes as source signals. Musical and acoustical expertise was assessed through the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index and self-reports on experience with and knowledge of acoustics. There was a considerable correlation between timbre and reverberance perception ability, but timbre perception and academic experience predicted only 41\% of the variance in reverberance perception. Still, perception abilities related to similar acoustical phenomena seem to be better indicators of listening skills than self-reports on acoustical or musical expertise.}, language = {en} } @article{vonBergWolfSteffens2024, author = {von Berg, Markus and Wolf, Anna-Christina and Steffens, Jochen}, title = {Age- and Sex-Related Differences in Music Requests on a Radio Show for Children}, series = {Music \& Science}, volume = {7}, journal = {Music \& Science}, publisher = {Sage Publications}, issn = {2059-2043}, doi = {10.1177/20592043241288335}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-46588}, pages = {1 -- 16}, year = {2024}, abstract = {In research on the development of musical preferences, children are often asked either to evaluate musical pieces that have been previously selected by adult experimenters, or to give self-reports on preferences for different musical styles. This study involved analyzing a sample of 1,412 freely and publicly expressed music requests from children aged between 4 and 11 years taken from a German radio program, with regard to age- and sex-specific differences. The music was categorized into genres, as listed on Spotify, and examined using methods of music information retrieval provided by the Spotify Developer application programming interface. Results showed that, at younger ages, the requests were generally more evenly distributed across different genres. Regarding single genres, we observed small positive relationships between age and the likelihood of requesting the genres pop or electro and small negative relationships between age and the likelihood of requesting A capella, German songwriter, indie, theme songs, or children's music. Furthermore, we found that boys requested significantly more rock or hip-hop, whereas girls had a higher tendency to ask for pop. Finally, age- (but no sex-) related differences regarding the Spotify features of valence and liveness of the requested music were found, which were related to the preference for children's music at younger ages. The results thus suggest that previous findings regarding differences between boys and girls and an increasing formation of distinct genre preferences during infancy also apply to single song requests made on a radio show.}, language = {en} } @article{SteffensBlaettermannSattleretal.2025, author = {Steffens, Jochen and Bl{\"a}ttermann, Patrick and Sattler, Maximilian and Tang, Kevin}, title = {How does a credible voice sound?}, series = {The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America}, volume = {157}, journal = {The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America}, number = {5}, publisher = {Acoustical Society of America}, issn = {1520-8524}, doi = {10.1121/10.0036646}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-53133}, pages = {3780 -- 3792}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Credibility is a crucial social factor that influences people's perception and decision-making. This study explores the acoustic attributes that define credible speech compared to neutral and ironic speech. A custom-built German corpus was developed, containing speech samples recorded from amateurs to enhance ecological validity. The study extracted a broad set of audio features from these samples, employing recursive feature elimination to identify the most influential attributes. These were then analyzed using a machine-learning-supported multinomial logistic regression model. The results indicated significant differences in the acoustic features associated with credible speech compared to neutral and ironic speech. Key findings include the role of a higher energy level (1st mel-frequency cepstral coefficient) in credible compared to neutral and ironic speech and a higher speaking rate in both credible and ironic compared to neutral speech. Also, irony is characterized by more high-frequency content (mean spectral centroid) compared to credible or neutral speech. Gender differences in spoken irony involve a greater influence of speaking rate in women's speech, while high pitch plays a more significant role in men's speech. This research thus contributes to the understanding of how credibility is conveyed through speech and offers insights for applications in communication, media, and artificial intelligence. The study also highlights the methodological advancements made by incorporating a diverse range of acoustic features and employing a robust machine-learning framework.}, subject = {Sprechen}, language = {en} }