Figure 1. Four experiments, four different outcomes

Repeated listening research uses different exposure schedules and outcome units, so the reported effects answer different questions.

Figure 1. Four experiments, four different outcomes. Repeated listening research uses different exposure schedules and outcome units, so the reported effects answer different questions.
Study	Scope and denominator	Exposure schedule	Outcome unit	Reported result	Non-proof
S2	15 listeners; 40 examples	Plays 1, 10, 19, 28 over about four weeks	Liking rating from 0 to 10	Liking rose; omega-squared=0.197 for presentation	No universal exposure curve
S4	40 participants in two cohorts; 8 or 12 excerpts	Three immediate repeats per excerpt	EEG inter-subject correlation	Correlation fell for familiar-style music and persisted for unfamiliar-style music	No validated boredom or value measure
S5	44 participants; four vocal choruses	One to four exposures; test one day later	Serial recall and 0 to 100 ratings	Greater exposure tended to increase interference for some songs	No reliable earworm rule
S6	96 recruited; two excluded; 96 excerpts	Two rating blocks, not a listening-dose study	Five-point ratings and standardized model paths	Perceptual ratings mediated several feature-to-liking paths	No causal exposure claim

Scope: Four studies published from 2017 through 2024 using adult listener samples
Units: Study-specific ratings, EEG correlation, serial recall, and model estimates
Denominator: S2: 15 listeners; S4: 40 participants; S5: 44 participants; S6: 96 recruited with two excluded
Date: Sources observed 2026-09-01
Transformation: Published schedules, directions, and effect statistics are restated without normalizing or estimating unpublished means
Uncertainty: Each panel preserves its own design, population, unit, and limitation
Limitations: This is not a meta-analysis. The constructs and magnitudes are not comparable across rows.
Does not prove: That more exposure has one meaning, that prediction determines pleasure, or that a universal exposure curve exists

Sources