The Impact of Listening to music on Cognitive Performance Arielle S. Dolegui University of Baltimore County Fernando Salazar
Keywords: Cognitive Performance- the ability to utilize the knowledge acquired by the mental processes in our brains Music Therapy- a therapeutic relationship between the mind and music that helps accomplish individual goals Stimulating- encouraging interest or enthusiasm Sedative- reduction of irritation or excitement
Purpose and reasoning for choosing this study Purpose- whether or not a specific genre of music can have different effects on student’s performances. Reasoning- In my opinion, I feel like stimulating music can be distracting and can have a negative effect. I wanted to see for myself so that I can find the proper genre to listen while I do homework, or work in general.
Null Hypothesis Null- cognitive performance is improved when listening to soft music compared to intense music.
Alternative Hypothesis Alt.- cognitive performance is neither improved or impaired when listening to soft music compared to intense music
How the study was conducted Conducted a repeated-measure design in rooms assigned by the University of Maryland 5 different arithmetic tests were used and consisted of a total 20 operations on each test: 5 multiplication 5 Division 5 Addition 5 Subtraction Volume was adjusted throughout the 5 tests
How study was conducted (cont.) Test 1- soft music at low volume Test 2- intense music condition at low volume Test 3- complete silence Test 4- soft music at high volume Test 5- intense music at high volume
Results Test scores were highest when tests were performed in silence Tests scores were significantly higher with low volume compared to high volume Mean scores hardly differed when it came to genre
Acception or rejection With enough conclusive evidence, we can say that genre has no specific effect on cognitive performance, but rather that volume is the key factor. Therefore, the null was rejected.
Link http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/762/the-impact-of- listening-to-music-on-cognitive-performance