Name:Joshua Schlichting

School/Affiliation:Dept. of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University

Co-Authors:Shreshth Saxena, Maya B. Flannery, Lauren K. Fink

Virtual or In-person:In-person

Abstract:

From protest songs to charity concerts, music is used for social justice advocacy, promoting prosociality toward justice-seeking recipients. Prosociality can arise from joint attention and/or interpersonal synchrony during shared music experiences (Kirschner & Tomasello, 2010; Rabinowitch, 2023). While such results explain prosociality among individuals sharing the music experience, music advocacy often supports recipients not co-present with the audience. Prosociality toward external recipients might alternatively stem from problem awareness (Schwartz, 1977) or empathic concern (Batson, 1987). Here, we aim to unravel the psychological mechanisms of music advocacy, by investigating charitable behaviour and its predictors.
Sixty-two audience members (ages 16-82, M = 34.8; 38 women) experienced both a live percussion performance and a film screening about innocent prisoners. Pre- and post-surveys assessed participants’ closeness, awareness, and empathy regarding innocent prisoners. The performance increased awareness and empathy, similarly to the film, whereas the film led to greater increases in closeness. After the event, 69% of participants took flyers from an organization supporting innocent prisoners, 35% joined their mailing list, and 18% donated. Charitable behaviour was predicted by awareness and empathy, but not closeness. We also measured eye gaze and cardiac activity during the event. Ongoing analyses explore how visual attention and cardiac synchrony relate to changes in closeness, awareness, and empathy.
In conclusion, this performance successfully promoted charitable behaviour by enhancing awareness and empathy, making a real-world contribution to innocent prisoners. Combining physiological data with self-reports and behaviour will afford a deeper understanding of the audience experience in an ecologically valid context.