Effect of Purposeful Distractors Placed in an Excerpt of Puccini's La Bohème to Ascertain Their Influence on the Listening Experience

The purpose of this study was to determine if superimposed audio distractors would have an effect on the aesthetic experience of undergraduate and graduate music majors listening to an excerpt of Puccini's La Bohème. Subjects (N = 96) were randomly assigned to three groups: one control and two experimental. The Control Group listened to an uninterrupted ten minute and thirty second excerpt of the stimulus. The two experimental groups listened to the identical excerpt with purposeful distractions. In Distraction Group I, a telephone busy signal and a telephone ringing sound were placed at strategic points within two arias as distractions. In Distraction Group II, pink noise distractors were placed at strategic locations within two arias. Subjects participated in the listening activity while manipulating the Continuous Response Digital Interface. A posttest questionnaire was given following the listening activity. Mean ratings of individual and group CRDI data were charted graphically. Results of this study indicated that while all subjects were distracted, almost all subjects evidenced a quick recovery and continued to have an aesthetic experience following the periods of distraction. Results from the questionnaire indicated that subjects in the distraction groups were indeed distracted, that all subjects had what they considered to be an aesthetic experience, and that almost all of the subjects indicated that the movement of the CRDI dial roughly corresponded with variations of their aesthetic experience.