The influence of consonance–dissonance contrasts on perceived pleasantness of concluding tonic chords in short chord sequences

Does dissonance enhance the pleasantness of the following consonance due to the ensuing contrast? The contrast between the affective characteristics of successive stimuli is considered an important factor for the perceived pleasantness of the final stimulus, known as the contrast effect. We tested the contrast effect of dissonance and consonance by employing short chord sequences ending with a manipulated penultimate chord, resolving to the final tonic as stimuli. The dissonance level of the penultimate chord was manipulated by varying both its acoustic roughness and cultural familiarity, and 49 participants rated the pleasantness of the final chord. We hypothesized that the final chord would be more pleasant when the penultimate chord was more dissonant. However, the results showed the opposite: greater dissonance in the penultimate chord led to lower pleasantness ratings for the following final chord. It could be that greater dissonance in the penultimate chord makes it less tonally related to the final chord and that its dissonance may have violated listeners’ tonal expectations. Rather than demonstrating the contrast effect, this result demonstrates dissonance’s strong association with unpleasantness and its influence on the pleasantness of the following consonance.