Music's ability to foster prosocial behavior: a teleofunctionalist perspective

Area of Science:

• Interdisciplinary music research
• Developmental psychology
• Philosophy of mind

Background:

• Music is conceptualized as a communicative toolkit for affiliative interaction.
• Teleofunctionalism provides a philosophical framework for understanding mental functions.
• Ontogenetic perspective traces musical activities to early infant protoconversational communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate music's capacity to foster prosocial behavior.
• Examine if establishing affiliative socio-interactional relationships is a proper function of music.
• Refine conditions for music and musicality.

Main Methods:

• Drawing on interdisciplinary music research (biological, developmental psychology).
• Applying teleofunctionalism (philosophical theory of mind).
• Analyzing ontogenetic development of musical activities from infancy.

Main Results:

• Musical activities foster coordinated, non-representational forms of vitality.
• Shared experiences, empathy, and intentionality are developed through music.
• Establishing shared experiences is identified as a proper function of music.

Conclusions:

• Music's function includes establishing affiliative socio-interactional relationships.
• Positive evaluation of shared musical experiences explains the reproduction of prosocial musical practices.
• The study refines the understanding of minimal conditions for music and musicality.