Dr. Tal-Chen Rabinowitch
Head of the Music & Social Development Lab
School of Creative Arts Therapies
Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences
Field of Research: Music Cognition; Social-Emotional Development; Interpersonal Synchrony
The Double-Edged Sword of Being In Sync
“Interpersonal synchrony can enhance social cohesion and closeness, but it could also enhance aggression toward those outside the group. We aim to find a way to keep groups aligned and connected but to also be tolerant towards those who are and act differently from us.”
– Dr. Tal-Chen Rabinowitch
The Project
The Music & Social Development Lab investigates how music and behavioral synchrony shape children’s social and emotional development.
Research includes:
- Discovering the influence of music on children’s social and emotional capacities, such as empathy, cooperation, helping and generosity.
- Exploring the potential of behavioral synchrony in reducing or preventing conflicts and prejudices as well as generating better communication and pro-social behavior between individuals and groups.
- Conducting research at both the behavioral and brain levels in the field (schools, communal and therapeutic centers) and in a controlled lab setting.
Fundraising Goals
Your support will enable the lab to determine effective ways to sustain high levels of social cohesion while reducing aggression toward other groups.
Philanthropic investment will:
- Help develop approaches that strengthen group alignment and cooperation while preserving individual identity.
- Enable research aimed at minimizing hostility toward outsiders while maintaining cooperation.
- Support strategies that encourage unity and tolerance toward those who think or act differently.
Meet Tal-Chen Rabinowitch
I am deeply interested in understanding the role music plays in children’s social and emotional development. I have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Musicology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a B.Mus in flute performance from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. I went on to earn a master’s degree in Music Cognition from the Hebrew University, followed by a PhD at the Centre for Music & Science at the University of Cambridge. My postdoctoral training included work in the labs of Professors Ariel Knafo (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) and Andrew Meltzoff (Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington). I returned to Israel and to the University of Haifa in 2018. I am now a senior lecturer at the School of Creative Arts Therapies, and the head of the Music & Social Development Lab.
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