Effects of Video Mood Congruency on Music Perception and Memory

Abstract

Many studies have examined the effects of musical soundtracks on films and demonstrated that music can bias the emotional impact of an accompanying film and provide an interpretative framework for the visual material. Few studies have examined the reverse relationship of video's influence on music. The purpose of the present research was to investigate music videos to determine which types of videos were most effective for the interpretation, perception and memory of songs. In the experiment, subjects were presented with videos that varied in the affect of their music, lyrics and video. Comparisons of interest between incongruent pairings allowed for the relative impact of each music video component to be addressed. Results indicated that music had a much greater influence than video or lyrics on almost all types of perception, and it also had the greatest influence on memory, while lyrics affected interpretation the most. Video enhanced perceptual ratings and memory on a number of measures, indicating that it has a practical use in music. Mood-congruent positive videos are especially beneficial to perception while negative videos make many songs more memorable. Practical applications, strengths, and weaknesses of the current research are discussed in addition to directions for future research.