Stereotypes Concerning Musicians within Symphony Orchestras (1986)

Investigator: Jack Lipton

Population: Orchestra musicians.

Identification method: Population identified from 16 major orchestras throughout the United States and Canada.

Sampling procedure: All musicians from cooperating orchestras were provided questionnaire. Publications reviewed make no mention of how orchestras were selected.

N and Response rate: N=227. Within each orchestra and within each orchestral section, response rates varied from about 10 percent to 60 percent. Forty orchestras declined to be distribute questionnaires to their performers.

Publication: Lipton, J. 1987. "Stereotypes Concerning Musicians within Symphony Orchestras." Journal of Psychology, 121(1): 85-93.

Summary: This study investigates differences in stereotypes and personality traits attributed to the four major orchestral sections (strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion).