The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of preferred music, nonpreferred music, and silence on measures of state anxiety, relaxation, and muscle tension. Nine subjects were selected from a pool of 90 college students after passing criteria for trait anxiety and musical experience. Each of the nine subjects was tested individually for a total of three testing sessions, using one condition (preferred music, nonpreferred music, or silence) per session. Pretests-posttests of state anxiety and relaxation were administered during each condition, and muscle tension was measured using an electromyogram. Results were calculated with a repeated measures analysis of variance and Pearson product-moment correlations. A main effect was discovered between subjects in the measure of state anxiety, as well as a difference between conditions on the measure of relaxation. It was found also that state anxiety and relaxation were correlated significantly under silence. State anxiety and EMG muscle tension were related inversely under preferred music, while other EMG correlations were associated with low correlation coefficients. Lastly, a trend appeared for preferred music to induce lesser anxiety and greater relaxation than nonpreferred music.

In recent years a new trend in socio-cognitive research investigates into the mental capacities that allow humans to relate to each other and to engage in social interactions. One of the main streams is the study of intersubjectivity, namely the ‘mutual sharing of experiences’, conceived of as a basic dimension of consciousness on which socialness is grounded. At the very heart of contemporary studies is an intense debate around some central questions that concern the nature and forms of human intersubjectivity, its development and its role in situated joint activities. Striving to achieve a unified theoretical framework, these studies are characterized by a strong interdisciplinary approach founded on philosophical accounts, conceptual analysis, neuroscientific results and experimental data offered by developmental and comparative psychology. This book aims to give a general overview of this relevant and innovative area of research by bringing together seventeen contributions by eminent scholars who address the more relevant issues in the field.