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David Parsons
Professor Curuso
3 June 2016
UWRT 1102
Synthesis Paper (Updated)

How Can Music Influence One's Ability to Study?

Listening to music is thought to be a great tool for studying and learning and there has been a
number of studies and speculation considering many different variables.

One variable that is very important to consider is the question of music preference. Does
listening to music that you enjoy improve your performance in cognitive-demanding tasks? Cognitivedemanding tasks are tasks which require one to think critically, make connections, and draw
conclusions. As one would assume, it is important to be at the top of your game, mentally, to
appropriately complete these challenges. Is your favorite music helping you reach desired results?
There are a few studies that pertain to the topic of preference and some interesting results were reached
with each of these. The first study, done at the University of Wales, examined the ability to serial recall.
Serial recall is the ability to recall a specific list of items in order. Each participant was given a list to

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recall in two conditions; one where the music is liked and the other disliked (Perham,Vizard). After
completing the examination, the findings were that the performance for both instances did not change
significantly(Perham,Vizard). Another study, also involving serial recall, resulting in the fact that
preferred genre actually performed worse on the recall than with disliked music (Smith, Carrol, and
Morris). In order to explain why, there was speculation that preferred music can result in emotion and
memories associated with the music This was thought to sidetrack participants from the task at hand
(Smith, Carrol, and Morris). Proving this change in the brain, another study in 2014 using brain
imaging revealed that there indeed are changes in neural connectivity associated with emotional and
memory parts of the brain(Wilkins et al.). This can explain why preferred music can be distracting.

As personality differences in individuals can be associated with variety in preferred learning

environments, the data comparing such differences should be considered. Furnham and Bradley were
colleagues in the Department of Psychology at the University Of London. They conducted a study on
the effects of pop music on introverts and extraverts(Furnham, Bradley). They decided to study two
polar opposites in terms of personality. The colleagues also introduced silence into the experiment.
Their results concluded that introverts were most negatively affected by the music, and that introverts
also performed better under the silence condition(Furnham, Bradley). This can perhaps be explained
by the mental processes of both personalities and environment in which each personality thrives.

There has also been speculation and information regarding the difference of lyrical and
instrumental music when performing cognitively. The University of Phoenix has conducted some
research pertaining to multitasking and evidence suggests that music with lyrics can have similar
results when compared to multitasking in general. Doing these two things at once is considered
multitasking and research has found that multitasking can decrease IQ by ten points(Tickell).

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Basically, the effort the brain puts into processing the two tasks will lower cognitive performance in
primary task. A professor at Stanford University, Clifford Naas, shares his viewpoint on music with
lyrics: Music with lyrics is very likely to have a problematic effect in terms of writing or reading.
Probably less of an effect on math, if you're not using the language processing parts of your
brain(Tickell). Instrumental music has also shown some interesting results when compared to silence.
A study at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, was conducted to attempt to replicate the
Mozart effect, which is an increase in cognition thought to be the result of Mozart piano (Lerch,
Anderson). The study involved children and documentation of their ability to perform in visual, verbal,
attention, and learning assessments in conditions of silence and while listening to Mozart. The results
showed that the conditions minimally affected both groups(Lerch, Anderson). So basically the music
had no positive effect when compared to the silent condition. I think it is appropriate to mention the
only music presented was Mozart piano and that other forms of instrumental music were not
considered. These other forms of instrumental music can be in all sorts of genres such as Electronic
dance music, country, and even hip hop. There are not any reputable studies to show how these types of
instrumental can change performance of the brain, however, what Mr. Naas said about language
processing can certainly apply to these instrumentals as well. Maybe some expiriments should be
conducted with preferred instrumental genres considered. However, a study conducted in France
looked at different conditions while listening to a lecture(Dosseville, Laborde, and Scelles). This study
also presented participants with a silent environment and classical music. The results showed that the
recognition of the group exposed to music was significantly higher than the group exposed to silence
(Dosseville, Laborde, and Scelles). I also think that is important to realize that most study environments
are not controlled and are most likely not going to be 100 percent silent at all times.

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There is also another important variable with music and concentration, and that is the volume
and pace of the music. Hallman, Price, and Katsarou are researchers in the area of Education Studies.
These researchers presented children ages 10 to 12 with high intensity(fast paced, loud) music and low
intensity(slow paced, quieter) while examining short term memory(Hallam, Price, and Katsarou). Also
a silent condition was presented. The results showed that the high intensity music produced the worst
results, following was the silent condition, then the low intensity producing the best outcome. They
conclude that this type of music can provide an environment that can put students at ease(Hallam,
Price, and Katsarou). The researchers maintain that the calm environment created an optimal state for
learning.

There is data based on music utilized for studying purposes, but what about music that has been
specifically designed for learning and retaining information? Thomas Frank is a former student,
business owner, and blogger. Thomas brought up an interesting topic on his blog about binaural beats.
Binaural beats are auditory hallucinations caused by two different pitches; one played in each ear, the
brain the perceives a third pitch that does not actually exist(Frank). This beats were created with the
intention of increasing cognitive ability. The sound is thought to increase brainwave activity associated
with mental focus. There are multiple studies on this topic, that are directly contradictory to each other
(Frank). These studies show that no conclusions can be drawn to suggest whether these binaural beats
actually serve the intended purpose. Thomas hypothesized that a large number of results were likely a
result of the placebo effect. The placebo effect happens when a patient is aware of an intended effect
that something is supposed to have, and as a result experiences those effects, whether the actual
substance is effective or not.

I have conducted a survey of my own family and their study habits. My mother reported that

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she can only listen to quiet, piano music. My father reported that he only listens to his favorite music,
rock and roll when studying. My older sister reported that she usually listens to loud electronic music,
and that it has to be without headphones. My younger sister reported she listens to popular rap music
most of the time, and sometimes electronic music as well. I have noticed a trend, and that is the lyrical
to instrument ratio among the four is basically even. So, as the studies show lyrical music to be
distracting , this shows that there can be contradicting experiences. As previously mentioned, placebo
affect could have something to do with this. There are not currently any large-scale studies to show the
relationship between music study habits and placebo effect. I have encouraged my family members to
see if changing their music study habits will render contrasting results.

Considering that all mentioned music studies have varying results, it might be possible that the
placebo effect might have something to do with that variance. So, it might be worthwhile to consider
how the placebo effect might have an influence on students with their own study habits. Another
significant variable to consider is the concept of contextual learning. Contextual learning is learning
information in a particular context, resulting in best performance for applying that information in the
same context as when learned. Steven M Smith is a professor at Texas A&M University, and has
conducted a study based on music and context-dependent learning. He arranged a serial recall test for
participants in two conditions; one with steady background music, and one with relatively normal
environmental sounds. The participants were tested with both music and without music and the results
showed that performance was higher when studying in the same context as tested in(Smith). This study
proves the significance of context when learning. For students, this may be important, because most
testing environments do not allow the individual to listen to music for any reason.

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Work Cited
Dosseville, Fabrice, Sylvain Laborde, and Nicolas Scelles. "Music during Lecture: Will Students Learn
Better?" Learning and Individual Differences22.2 (2012): 258-62. ResearchGate. Web. 3 June 2016.
Frank, Thomas. "Can Music Be Designed to Enhance Your Brain's Performance?" College Info Geek.
Thomas Frank, 11 Feb. 2016. Web. 3 June 2016.
Furnham, Adrian, and Anna Bradley. "Music While You Work: The Differential Distraction of Background
Music on the Cognitive Test Performance of Introverts and Extraverts." Applied Cognitive Psychology 11.5
(1997): 445-55.Wiley Online Library. Web. 3 June 2016.
Hallam, S., J. Price, and G. Katsarou. "The Effects of Background Music on Primary School Pupils Task
Performance." Educational Studies 28.2 (2002): 111-22. Media Violence Resource Center. Web. 3 June
2016.

Lerch, Donna, and Thomas Anderson, Dr. "The Mozart Effect: A Closer Look."UUIC.edu. UUIC.edu, Spring
2000. Web. 3 June 2016.
Perham, Nick, and Joanne Vizard. "Can Preference for Background Music Mediate the Irrelevant Sound
Effect?" Applied Cognitive Psychology 25.4 (2011): 625-31. ResearchGate. Web. 3 June 2016.
Smith, Carrol, and Larry Morris. "DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF STIMULATIVE AND SEDATIVE MUSIC ON
ANXIETY, CONCENTRATION, AND PERFORMANCE Read More:
Http://www.amsciepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/pr0.1977.41.3f.1047."Psychological Reports F 41.3
(1977): 1047-053. AmSci. Web. 3 June 2016.

Smith, Steven M. "Background Music and Context-Dependent Memory." The American Journal of
Psychology 98.4 (1985): 591-603. JSTOR. Web. 3 June 2016.
Tickell, Sofia Castello. "Should You Listen to Music While You Study?" USA Today College. USA Today, 10
Sept. 2012. Web. 3 June 2016.
Wilkins, R. W., D. A. Hodges, P. J. Laurienti, M. Steen, and J. H. Burdette. "Network Science and the Effects
of Music Preference on Functional Brain Connectivity: From Beethoven to Eminem." Scientific
Reports 4 (2014).Nature.com. Web. 3 June 2016.