Musical networks :the case for a neural network methodology in advertisement music research

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Countless scientists had been struggling for centuries to find a significant connection betweencognition, emotion and reasoning – resulting in today's rather embarrassingly imperfect understandingof even the most basic human cognition. We should apprehend that it is unlikely that majorbreakthroughs in the Cognitive Sciences, Psychology, Sociology or the Medical Sciences will elucidateeverything about the human brain and -behaviour in the very near future. Realizing this, it is realisticthat we should transfer our attention to things that we do know and understand, and reconsider thepower that lies in the integration of results and an interdisciplinary perspective in research. Using thetools we have to our disposal today – digital tools such as ANNs which did not exist a few decadesbefore – this is actually readily viable today.This thesis demonstrates that it is possible to break the traditional boundaries that have periodicallyprevented the Humanities and the Natural Sciences to join forces towards a greater understanding ofhuman beings. By using ANNs, we are able to merge data from any subfield within the Humanities andNatural Sciences in a single study. The results, interpretations and applications which could developfrom such a study would certainly be more inclusive than those derived from research conducted inone or two of these fields in isolation.Sufficient evidence is provided in this dissertation to support a methodology which employs an artificialneural network to assist with decision-making processes related to the choice of advertisement music.The main objective of this endeavour is to establish the feasibility of combining data from many diversefields, in the creation of an ANN that can be helpful in research regarding South African advertisementmusic. The thesis explores the notion that knowledge from many interdisciplinary study fields ought toplay a leading role in the creation and assessment of effective, target-group-specific advertisementmusic. In obtaining this goal, it examines the probability of producing a computer-based tool which canassist people working in the advertising industry to obtain an educated match between product,consumer, and advertisement music.Taking a multidisciplinary point of view, the author suggests a methodology for the design of a digitaltool in the form of a musical network model. It is concluded that, by using this musical network, it isindeed possible to guarantee a functional musically-paired commercial, which effectively addresses itstarget-group and has an appropriate emotional effect in support of the marketing goals of theadvertising agent. The thesis also demonstrates that it is possible to gain new insights regarding a fairly unstudieddiscipline, without necessarily conducting new research studies in the specified field. The thesis provesthat - by taking an interdisciplinary approach and by using ANNs - it is possible to attain new data thatis scientifically valid, even in an unacknowledged field such as South African advertisement music.Although the scope of the thesis does not provide for the actual implementation of the musicalnetwork, the feasibility of the conceptual idea is thoroughly examined, and it is concluded that thetheory in it's entirely is definitely feasible, and can be implemented in a future study.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University