Music Psychology
I'm a researcher in music psychology with a deep fascination for imagination β specifically, the extraordinary variety of inner worlds and experiences that music colours in each of us. From vivid visual scenes to half-formed feelings to memories you'd forgotten you had, I find endless wonder in the fact that the same piece of music can open up something completely unique in every listener. I'm also a passionate advocate for Open Research: transparent methods, shared data, and science that anyone can scrutinise, build on, or just stumble into with curiosity.
Durham University Β· Music Department Β· 2024βpresent
My PhD explores the interaction of music with imagination β the images, stories, memories, and abstract experiences that arise while we listen, and what they reveal about how imagination itself works. My thesis is built from four interconnected empirical chapters, each approaching music-influenced mental content from a different angle: (1) curation of a music stimulus set with accompanying normative data; (2) systematic mapping of thought-types experienced across varied music stimuli; (3) computational analysis of how extramusical context information shapes thought contents; (4) a large-scale mixed-method qualitative study producing a comprehensive typology of music-influenced mental content. Together, these chapters weave a layered empirical account of the rich inner thoughtscapes that music can open up. Using a blend of quantitative and qualitative methods captures both the statistical patterns and the irreducibly human variety that only qualitative depth can reach within our nuanced musically sculpted imaginations.
Good research should be visible, sharable, and challengeable. I care deeply about open data, transparent methods, and building a culture where science is something we do together β not something we hoard.
Numbers can tell you a lot, but they miss the texture. I'm drawn to mixed methods β the messiness of qualitative work alongside the order of quantitative analysis β because reality tends to live somewhere in between.
Music can send the mind somewhere entirely else β and I'm captivated by where it goes. Images, stories, memories, abstract experiences that bloom amongst the notes; and the fact that this unfolds so differently for each person makes it a uniquely revealing window into imagination itself.
A title, a backstory, a listening setting β small nudges that can reshape an entire experience. Alongside this, I believe genre is never just a footnote: from basslines to beehive haircuts, research should reflect the genuine diversity of how people actually listen.
Listed in thesis chapter order. Chapters 1β2 are published; chapter 3 is the current paper in progress; chapter 4 is in preparation.
van der Walle, H. A., Wu, W., Margulis, E. H., Jakubowski, K. Β· Behavior Research Methods, 57(7), 1β26
A normed music stimulus set of 356 instrumental 30-second clips across 17 genres, with normative data from 701 UK & US participants (ages 18β75) covering familiarity, enjoyment, emotional expression, genre recognition, and thought-type ratings.
van der Walle, H. A., Wu, W., Margulis, E. H., Jakubowski, K. Β· Psychology of Music
A systematic examination of the types of thoughts people report during music listening β across a diverse 17-genre stimulus set β mapping the landscape of music-influenced mental content.
View papervan der Walle, H. A. Β· Current paper
A computational qualitative study using a multi-model NLP pipeline testing whether extramusical context cues shift the semantic similarity of music-influenced mental content reports.
View repositoryvan der Walle, H. A., Margulis, E. H., Jakubowski, K. (2026). Basslines, Bodies, and Beehive Haircuts: What do we think about when we listen to music? PsyArXiv [Preprint]
A mixed-method qualitative study of 14,091 music-influenced mental content (MIMC) descriptions across 10 genres. Multiple coding passes, multi-coder reliability checks, thematic analysis, and co-occurrence network analysis produce a comprehensive "thoughtscape" typology β attending to the human nuance that computational approaches often flatten out.
Rai, L., van der Walle, H. A., Painting, J., & Orgs, G.
An investigation into what extent listeners perceive and experience a sense of social liveness β the perceived presence of other people β from recorded music by adding audience reactions to recordings, and what this reveals about the aesthetic experience of recorded live performance. These findings show how social liveness can mimic actual live events, showcasing the importance of social influences for cultural engagement.
View preprintWolsink, L., Manduch, P., Licata, A. E., van der Walle, H. A., Vornhagen, J. B., Sharma, H., Ngiam, W. XG., Muhoozi, M., Marmyleva, A. & Jaquiery, M.
A practical guide to starting and sustaining a ReproducibiliTea journal club β the global grassroots Open Science initiative helping researchers discuss reproducibility, open methods, and the culture of better science. Covers setup, paper selection, fostering inclusive discussion, and long-term community building.
View preprint
