{"value"=>"<p> <span class=\"title\">Effects of Stimulative Vs. Sedative Music on Social Interaction in Dance Therapy</span></p> <p>Although music is widely used in dance therapy groups, little research has been done to examine the effects of music on people during dance therapy. As social interactions among group members is a primary goal in dance therapy it was decided to study the effects of music on this factor. Music psychologists have used the construct of stimulative versus sedative music to study the effects of music on various physiological and affective behaviors. Stimulative music is defined as music which features strong rhythm and loud volume, while sedative music features sustained melody as it's most prominent element. This construct was borrowed for the present study. Seventeen dance therapy students were asked to improvise movement to music during two sessions, one accompanied by stimulative music and the other by sedative music. Sessions were videotaped and analyzed to determine the number and duration of interactions occurring among subjects. Criteria for interactions were: eye contact, touch and verbalization. Results showed that stimulative music prompted fewer interactions of longer duration.</p>"}