Abstract
Araki, Shimazaki, Imai, & Ito (2008) indicated that listening to preferred music for days gradually reduced the level of state anxiety. Hereinafter, this study is called the accumulated effect. To our knowledge, there is no paper replicated this accumulated effect. So, the first aim of the current study was to examine whether the accumulated effect could be replicated. Furthermore, as a second aim, this study explored whether the above accumulated effect could last for at least two day. In order to achieve the two aims, the procedure of this study consisted of such as follows. At first, all participants completed the state anxiety scale of Japanese Edition (Mizuguchi, Shimonaka, & Nakasato, 1999) of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spilberger, Gorsuch, & Lushene, 1970). After that, they were asked to listen to the preferred music or white noise. The preferred music was selected by the participant, while white noise was presented by the experimenter. After listening, all participants again completed the state anxiety scale. This session (STAI measurement-music listening-STAI measurement) was undergone once per day for three consecutive days. On day two after music listening on the 3rd day, they again completed state anxiety scale and answered the interview at follow-up to examine whether the accumulated effect could last. The results indicated that only in high anxiety individuals, listening to preferred music for three consecutive days gradually decreased state anxiety score by the day. Thus, the accumulated effect was replicated. Moreover, in high anxiety group, there was no difference between the state anxiety score on the 3rd day and that on day two after preferred music listening on the 3rd day. Consequently, the accumulated effect lasted afterward via preferred music listening for three consecutive days.
