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Virginia Tech

The Dynamic Functional Capacity Theory: Music Evoked Emotions

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The music-evoked emotion literature implicates many brain regions involved in emotional processing but is currently lacking a model that specifically explains how they temporally and dynamically interact to produce intensely pleasurable emotions. A conceptual model, The Dynamic Functional Capacity Theory (DFCT), is proposed that provides a foundation for the further understanding of how brain regions interact to produce intense intensely pleasurable emotions. The DFCT claims that brain regions mediating emotion and arousal regulation have a limited functional capacity that can be exceeded by intense stimuli. The prefrontal cortex is hypothesized to abruptly deactivate when this happens, resulting in the inhibitory release of sensory cortices, the limbic system, the reward-circuit, and the brainstem reticular activating system, causing 'unbridled' activation of these areas. This process produces extremely intense emotions. This theory may provide music-evoked emotion researchers and Music Therapy researchers a theoretical foundation for continued research and application and also to compliment current theories of emotion.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph. D.
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Psychology
Department dc:contributor.department
Psychology
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2014

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Klineburger, Philip C.
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Harrison, David W.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Bell, Martha Ann
  • Deater-Deckard, Kirby
  • Jones, Russell T.

Subjects

dc:subject × 3

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:3898
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/50991

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Klineburger, Philip C.. The Dynamic Functional Capacity Theory: Music Evoked Emotions. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/50991