Research

This doctoral project examines how cultural models of selfhood influence affective experiences with music. Specifically, this research focuses on the role of self-construal (one's sense of self in relation to others, shaped by a cultural emphasis on interdependence or independence) in music preferences, perceived emotions in music, and felt emotions with music. This research was supported by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (grant number AH/R012733/1) through the White Rose College of the Arts & Humanities.

The full doctoral thesis can be found in the White Rose eTheses Online repository. You can watch this overview video of my research topic. You can also read my research findings summary.

Associated publications:

• Tang, J., Tan, E., & Li, S. (2025). Favorite music expresses socially engaging emotions: The role of self-construal across cultures. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220221251355202

• Tang, J. (2025). The important role of self in cross-cultural investigations of affective experiences with music. Psychology of Music, 53(4), 616-642. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356241305154 

For this project, I collaborated with Professor Melody Schwantes to examine music therapy international service-learning programs in the U.S. We wanted to find out if these programs helped to foster individual's intercultural competence. You can read more in our paper, International service-learning and intercultural competence of U.S. music therapists: Initial survey findings, published in the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy.

Stay tuned! More information is on its way!