cameron anderson

Cameron Anderson, M.Sc is long-standing member of our lab who is completing his PhD candidacy where he explores changes in musical emotion over historical eras. This project builds on his background in both music cognition and music theory, and offers a novel look at the complex process of transmitting emotion from composer to performer to listener.
He previously completed a Bachelor of Music with a specialization in Music Cognition, working on the Auditory Alarms project. Outside the lab, Cam actively collaborates on projects focused on meta-science, data quality analysis, and construct evaluation. His research has been featured in Music & Science’s special issue “Explaining music with AI: Advancing the scientific understanding of music through computation” as well as in popular science outlets including Scientific American and New Atlas.
 

Awards and Recognitions
 

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship (2024-2026)

Mitacs Globalink Research Award – Thematic (2024)

Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2021-2024)

McMaster School of Graduate Studies Travel Award (2025, 2023, 2022)

Stephen & Tina Wilson Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2021-2022)

Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canadian Graduate Scholarship (2020-2021)

The Waller Family Music Scholarship (2018, 2017)
 

Journal Articles
webpage Delle Grazie, M., Anderson, C. J., De Souza, J., & Schutz, M. (2025). Analysis from multiple perspectives (AMP): Applying decision hygiene to analysis of musical structure. Musicae Scientiae. https://doi.org/10.1177/10298649251385727
webpage Anderson, C. J., Ling, J., & Schutz, M. (2025). Beyond the notes: Clarifying the role of expressivity in conveying musical emotion. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218251372335
webpage Delle Grazie, M., Anderson, C. J., & Schutz, M. (2025). Breaking with common practice: Exploring Modernist musical emotion. Psychology of Music. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356241296852
webpage Anderson, C. J., & Schutz, M. (2023). Understanding Feature Importance in Musical Works: Unpacking Predictive Contributions to Cluster Analyses. Music & Science, 6. https://doi.org/10.1177/20592043231216257
webpage Anderson, C. J., Sreetharan, S., Elizondo López, A. E., Schlesinger, J. J., & Schutz, M. (2023). Improving auditory alarms: Reducing perceived annoyance with musical timbre (a randomized trial). Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management, 32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcorm.2023.100332
webpage Anderson, C. J., & Schutz, M. (2022). Exploring historic changes in musical communication: Deconstructing emotional cues in preludes by Bach and Chopin. Psychology of Music, 50(5), 1424–1442. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356211046375
webpage Kelly, B. O., Anderson, C. J., & Schutz, M. (2021). Exploring Changes in the Emotional Classification of Music Between Eras. Auditory Perception & Cognition, 4(1-2), 121-131.
webpage Foley, L., Anderson, C. J., & Schutz, M. (2020). Re-Sounding Alarms: Designing Ergonomic Auditory Interfaces by Embracing Musical Insights. Healthcare, 8(4), 389.
 

Proceedings & Preprints
pdf Zhou, J., Anderson, C. J., & Schutz, M., (2023, October). Accuracies in algorthimic predictors of musical emotion. Proceedings of the Acoustics Week in Canada, 51 (3).
 
pdf Eerola, T., & Anderson, C. J., (2025, April 15). A Meta-Analysis of Music Emotion Recognition Studies.
pdf Kirts, C., Saarikallio, S., Anderson, C. J., Bannister, S., Cespedes-Guevara, J., PhD, Heng, G. J., … Eerola, T. (2025, July 15). Measuring Emotional Experiences to Music – Content Validity Assessment for Episode Model Constructs. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/684kj_v1(2025).
 

Other Writing
webpage Anderson, C. J. (2022, January 28). How Digital Tools Can Help Us Understand Music Analysis. Lewis & Ruth Sherman Centre For Digital Scholarship. https://scds.ca/how-digital-tools-can-help-us-understand-music-analysis/
 

Conference Presentations
 

Anderson, C. J., & Schutz, M. (2025, July). Emotion Across the Eras: How Changing Musical Structure Affects Ratings of Valence and Arousal. Presented at ICMPC18. São Paulo, Brazil.

Anderson, C. J., & Eerola, T. (2025, July). A Meta-Analysis of Music Emotion Recognition Studies (talk). Presented at ICMPC18. São Paulo, Brazil.

Kirk, R., Anderson, C. J., Trainor, L. & Miguel, M. (2025, July) Expressive how? Comparing streams of continuous affective dimensions (poster). Presented at ICMPC18. São Paulo, Brazil.

Anderson, C. J., Ling, J., & Schutz, M. (2024, July). Historic Changes in Cues for Valence: A Novel Exploration of Perceived Emotion in Baroque- to Modern-Era Music (talk). Presented at SMPC 2024. Banff, Canada.

Anderson, C. J., Ling, J., & Schutz, M. (2024, July). Invariant and Variant Cues for Emotion in Piano Performances (Poster). Presented at ESCOM 12. York, UK.

Anderson, C. J. (2024, June). How Do Historic Changes in Musical Structure Affect Perceived Emotion? (talk). Presented at Durham University Postgraduate Symposium. Durham, UK.

Anderson, C. J. (2024, May). Communicating meaning through auditory signals: A musical perspective (talk). Presented at Music & Science Lab. Durham, UK.

Anderson, C. J., Delle Grazie, M., & Schutz, M. (2024, February). Emotion Across the Centuries: Assessing the Link Between Historic Context and Perceived Emotion in Musical Works. Presented at Lake Ontario Visionary Establishment. Niagara, Canada.

Anderson, C. J., Ling, J., & Schutz, M. (2023, October). How Does Interpretation of Acoustic Features Affect Perceived Musical Emotion? (Talk). Presented at Acoustics Week in Canada. Montreal, Quebec.

Anderson, C. J., & Schutz, M. (2023, March). Investigating the Impact of Musical Experience on Perceived Emotion (Talk). Presented at York Graduate Music Student Association Presents: Forward Motion. Toronto, Ontario.

Anderson, C. J., Ling, J., & Schutz, M. (2022, November). Structural, Interpretative, and Historic Effects on Perceived Musical Emotion (Talk). Presented at Western University Music Seminar Series. London, Ontario.

Anderson, C. J., & Schutz, M. (2022, August). Demonstrating a Novel Method for Exploring Musical Changes Across History (Talk). Presented at Society for Music Perception and Cognition. Portland, Oregon.

Anderson, C. J., & Schutz, M. (2022, August). The Role of Structural and Interpretive Cues in Emotional Communication: Analyzing Emotion in Expressive and Deadpan Excerpts of Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier (Poster). Presented at Society for Music Perception and Cognition. Portland, Oregon, United States.

Anderson, C. J. & Schutz, M. (2021, November). The Link Between Historic Context and Musical Training in Perceived Emotion (poster). Presented at 17th Annual McMaster NeuroMusic Conference. Hamilton, Canada. Virtual Conference. 

Anderson, C. J. & Schutz, M. (2021, November). Emotion Perception and Mode Recognition in a Music Cognition Classroom (poster). Presented at 19th Annual Auditory Perception, Cognition and Action Meeting. Virtual conference.

Anderson, C. J. (2021, March). Analyzing Expressive Differences in Historic Prelude Sets Using Cluster Analysis (Video Poster Presentation). Presented at Future Directions of Music Cognition, Ohio State University. Virtual Conference. Retrieved from osf.io/qbz7g

Kelly, B. O., Anderson, C. J., & Schutz M (2021, March). Changing Musical Categorizations Between Eras (Talk). Presented at Future Directions of Music Cognition, Ohio State University. Virtual Conference.

Anderson, C. J. & Schutz, M. (2020, December). The Emotional Implications of Acoustic Nuance in Preludes by Bach and Chopin. (Poster). Presented at 16th Annual McMaster NeuroMusic Conference. Hamilton, Canada.

Kelly, B. O., Anderson, C. J. & Schutz, M. (2020, December). Shifts in the Perceptual Categorization of Music between Eras. (Poster). Presented at 16th Annual McMaster NeuroMusic Conference. Hamilton, Canada.

Delle Grazie, M., Anderson, C. J., & Schutz, M. (2020, December). Exploring Historical Changes in Musical Cues Through Cluster Analysis. (Poster). Presented at 16th Annual McMaster NeuroMusic Conference. Hamilton, Canada.

Anderson, C. J. & Schutz, M. (2020, December). Acoustic Elements in Emotion Expression (Talk). Presented at 19th Annual Auditory Perception and Cognition Action Meeting. Virtual Conference.

Delle Grazie, M. Anderson, C. J., & Schutz M (2020, December). Mapping Acoustic cues to Emotional Responses: Exploring Musical Cues Through Cluster Analysis (Poster). Presented at 19th Annual Auditory Perception and Cognition Action Meeting. Virtual Conference.

Kelly, B., Anderson, C. J., & Schutz M (2020, December). Perceptual Categorization of Music between Eras (Poster). Presented at 19th Annual Auditory Perception and Cognition Action Meeting. Virtual Conference.

Anderson, C. J., Kelly, B., & Schutz, M. (2020, February). A Tale of Two Composers: Acoustic Choices Affect Perceived Emotion (Poster). Presented at Lake Ontario Visionary Conference, Niagara Falls, Canada.

Kelly, B., Anderson, C. J., & Schutz M (2020, February). Cue Variance in Perceived Musical Emotion Across Eras. Presented at Lake Ontario Visionary Conference, Niagara Falls, Canada.

Anderson, C. J. & Schutz, M. (2019, November) Historical Changes in Musical Expression (Poster). Presented at 15th Annual NeuroMusic Conference, Hamilton, Canada.

Kelly, B., Anderson, C. J. & Schutz, M. (2019, November) Perceived Emotion Across Musical Eras (Poster). Presented at 15th Annual NeuroMusic Conference, Hamilton, Canada.

Sreetharan, S., Anderson, C. J., Schlesinger, S., & Schutz, M (2019, August). Investigating the role of timbre on melodic alarm recognizability (Talk). Presented at the 2019 Biennial Meeting of the Society for Music Perception and Cognition. New York University, New York.

Anderson, C. J., Sreetharan, S. & Schutz, M (2019, March). How Changes in Timbre Affect the Annoyance and Recognition of Melodic Alarms. Presented at Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour Undergraduate Thesis Poster Session. McMaster University.

Anderson, C. J., Sreetharan, S. & Schutz, M (2019, February). Examining Melodic Alarm Recognition Accuracy Across Contrasting Timbres (Poster). Presented at Lake Ontario Visionary Conference, Niagara Falls, Canada.

Anderson, C. J., Sreetharan, S. & Schutz, M (2018, November). Exploring the effect of timbre on melodic alarm recognition (Poster). Presented at 14th Annual McMaster NeuroMusic Conference. Hamilton, Canada.

Anderson, C. J. & Schutz, M. (2018, November). Can Musical Cues Improve Auditory Alarms in the I.C.U.? (Poster). Presented at McMaster Innovation Showcase: The Future is Here. Hamilton, Canada.

Other Presentations

Anderson, C. J., Phillips, E., Swierczek, K., & Wood, E. (2022, May 7). Meet a Music Scientist (Digital Workshop). Digital workshop for McMaster Live Lab. Hamilton, Canada.

Anderson, C. J., Ertemin, D., Morgan, B., & Propst, A. (2022, May 4). Towards More Meaningful Science Communication with the Benefit of Digital Scholarship (Digital Workshop). Presented at Lewis & Ruth Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship. Hamilton, Canada.

Anderson, C. J. (2022, April). Parsing Expressive Patterns in Prelude Sets (presentation). Presented at McMaster Reading Lab. Hamilton, ON.