Research output per year
Research output per year
Personal profile
Research interests
I am interested in how the mind works, using methods from cognitive psychology. I am especially interested in the cognitive, emotional, social and cultural implications of music. Music is profoundly important to people all around the world, and we are now starting to understand why. Together with other members of the Music Sound and Performance Lab, we are studying issues such as musical creativity, music and emotion, music and the imagination, musical disorders, and uses of music as treatment for neurological disorders such as dementia.
The Music Sound and Performance lab is highly productive, and we have published more than 120 articles and chapters on these topics. I also wrote a general book on the subject called "Music, Thought and Feeling: Understanding the Psychology of Music" (Oxford University Press, 2014) which summarises the most influential research in this area.
Education/Academic qualification
Psychology, PhD, Judgements of key change in Bach chorale excerpts: An investigation of the sensitivity to keys, chords, and voicing, Queen's University Kingston
1982 → 1986
Award Date: 1 Jun 1986
Psychology, M.A., Opponent processes in speech perception, Queen's University Kingston
1980 → 1982
Award Date: 1 Oct 1982
Psychology, B. Sc., McGill University
1976 → 1979
External positions
Awarded Professor Emeritus, Macquarie University
2021 → …
Visiting Professor: Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, University of British Columbia
Sept 2019 → Nov 2019
Visiting Professor: Institute for Advanced Studies, Durham University
Oct 2017 → Dec 2017
Visiting Professor: Department of Neurology, Harvard University
Jul 2014 → Sept 2014
Visiting Professor: International Laboratory for Brain, Music & Sound Research, University of Montreal
Oct 2010 → Nov 2010
Visiting Professor, University of London
Jul 2010 → Sept 2010
Head of the Department of Psychology, Macquarie University
2010 → 2014
Professor of Psychology, Macquarie University
2007 → 2017
Visiting Professor: School of Business, University of Queensland
Jan 2006 → May 2006
Director: Institute for Communication and Culture, University of Toronto
2005 → 2006
Director: Communication, Culture, & Information Technology (CCIT programs), University of Toronto
2002 → 2007
Chair, Department of Psychology, York University Toronto
1998 → 2001
Visiting Professor, University of New South Wales
1996 → 1997
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, York University Toronto
1994 → 2022
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, York University Toronto
1989 → 1994
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Children across cultures respond emotionally to the acoustic environment
Ma, W., Zhou, P., Liang, X. & Thompson, W. F., 2023, In: Cognition and Emotion. 37, 6, p. 1144-1152 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus) -
Correction to: Psychosocial risks and benefits of exposure to heavy metal music with aggressive themes: Current theory and evidence (Current Psychology, (2023), 42, 24, (21133-21150), 10.1007/s12144-022-03108-9)
Olsen, K. N., Terry, J. & Thompson, W. F., Dec 2023, In: Current Psychology. 42, 36, p. 32615Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate/opinion › Research
Open Access -
Exploring the Physiological and Psychological Effects of Group Chanting in Australia: Reduced Stress, Cortisol and Enhanced Social Connection
Perry, G., Polito, V. & Thompson, W., 13 Dec 2023, In: Journal of Religion and Health. p. 1-23 23 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus)107 Downloads (Pure) -
Is Humming Healthy? Mmm, here’s what the evidence says.
Perry, G. & Thompson, W., 19 Sept 2023, In: The Conversation.Research output: Contribution to journal › Online Resource › Education
Open Access -
Music, Pleasure, and Meaning: The Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motivations for Music (HEMM) Scale
Powell, M., Olsen, K. N. & Thompson, W. F., 15 Mar 2023, In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 20, 6, p. 1-19 19 p., 5157.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Citations (Scopus)58 Downloads (Pure)