Drew Hynes, Sam Levin, Emma Shay
The relationship between music and memory is complicated and not always easy to identify. Research about this relationship has garnered mixed results that vary based on the form of memory tested, how types and features of music are defined, and the methods used for testing. Nevertheless, the popularity of background music as an aid for study makes the connection between music and memory–especially regarding short term memory–relevant and worth attempting to define more clearly. Based on previous research, we hypothesized that silence is a more effective memory aid than background music of any kind, but that among background music types, slow and instrumental music yields the best performance in short term memory formation. To test this hypothesis we had participants read the short children’s book, “Hide and Seek” by T. Albert for three minutes or study ten questions that were asked on the trivia show Jeopardy! For three minutes during this we had participants listen to silence, a slow piece without music, a fast piece without music, a slow piece with lyrics, or a fast piece with lyrics as they read a short story or a list of trivia questions and answers. We then presented them with comprehension multiple choice quizzes based on the information they read, with higher scores on these quizzes indicating better memory recall. We predicted that those who read their presented information in silence will score highest on average on the story on trivia quizzes, followed by those who read while listening to the slow instrumental piece. Our predictions will be shared the day of. Our findings will be shared the day of.
Survey link for Intro 101 students
