Mary Broughton

Associate Professor Mary Broughton is a percussionist and researcher in music psychology at the University of Queensland School of Music within the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. She earned a Bachelor of Music from Griffith University, a Masters by coursework from the Australian National University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Western Sydney. Serving as the Bachelor of Arts Music Psychology Minor Convenor and affiliate of the Research Centre in Creative Arts and Human Flourishing, her research applies psychological science theory and methods to examine human thought, feeling, and behaviour related to music. This interdisciplinary work employs neurophysiological, behavioural, quantitative, and qualitative techniques to investigate music generation, audience responses, music perception and cognition, human action and interaction in performance, audience engagement and development, music in early childhood, and promoting individual and community wellbeing through active music participation.

Broughton's professional career encompasses academic appointments at the University of Queensland as Associate Professor and prior postdoctoral research. As a performer, she has collaborated with orchestras including the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and West Australian Symphony Orchestra, and presented nationally and internationally as a chamber and solo musician. She has received research grants such as the 2015 UQ Early Career Researcher Grant for 'Music performance as embodied social communication: Investigating empathy in the relational processing of contemporary classical music performance, using technology' and the 2017-2018 Westerman Open Grant for 'Audience response to contemporary classical music performance'. Notable publications include 'How do music activities affect health and well-being? A scoping review of studies examining psychosocial mechanisms' (2021, Frontiers in Psychology); 'Promoting wellbeing and health through active participation in music and dance: a systematic review' (2020, International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being); 'Affective and cognitive responses to musical performances of early 20th century classical solo piano compositions: the influence of musical expertise and audio-visual perception' (2021, Music Perception); book chapters 'Body movement' (2022, The Oxford Handbook of Music Performance) and 'Building a Profile of Australian Parents’ Musical Beliefs, Values, and Practices' (2023, The Oxford Handbook of Early Childhood Learning and Development in Music); and 'An expressive bodily movement repertoire for Marimba performance, revealed through observers' Laban effort-shape analyses, and allied musical features: two case studies' (2016, Frontiers in Psychology). Her contributions advance understanding of music's psychological and social impacts.

Professional Email: m.broughton@uq.edu.au