How volume of music affects memory recall - Research Paper Example

Effect of volume of music on memory recall This paper reports on a research to investigate effects of volume of music on memory recall. Theresearch aims at investigating existence of significance difference in people’s memory recall between two types of music, classical music and rock music, and the volume of music, loud, and low volume. The study used 78 participants who were divided into two groups for different treatment. Thirty-eight participants were subjected to low volume music while 40 participants were subjected high volume music.

The research applied a quasi-experimental design with posttest only. The results identified comparatively higher recall in the high volume group though this difference was not significant. The study therefore concludes that music volume does not significantly affect memory recall. Introduction There is a common perception that music affects the brain’s ability to process or recall information. Such perception is differently held among people and while some prefers association with background music while performing mental activities, others prefer a quiet background.

The effect of presence, or absence of music as well as the volume of music in case of involvement of background music, has been explored in different research initiatives with different results. This study investigates the relationship to determine significance. Literature review In an experiment to determine how music affects memory performance of students, two groups of students were used. One was subjected to background music while the students studied while members of the other group studied in the absence of music.

The students were then subjected a memory test and the results indicated existence of a significant difference in words recall between the two groups. Students who studied in a quiet environment recalled more words than those who studied with music on the background (Mabelebele, 2007). In another study to investigate effects of music genre and volume on memory ability, Moore Leasa exposed participants to different types and volumes of music and determined the effect of both on the participants’ ability to recall words.

The research results identified lack of significant difference in memory recall across different music volumes though more errors were identified with higher volumes (Moore, 2009). Another research to investigate the effects of gender, and volume of background music, on participants’ mental potential to recall information identified lack of significant difference in the participants’ memory ability (Mndizabal and Caballero, n.d.). Existing information on the effect of music volume on memory recall is therefore inconsistent with some research result identifying significant relationships while others do not.

Research findings however converge to effects of music volumes on the memory potential. This research therefore seeks to ascertain the significance of music volume on memory recall. It tests the null hypothesis that music volume does not significantly affect memory recall. Methods Participants The research used 78 participants, psychology major students from California State University of Northridge, who were subjected to two music volumes. Thirty-eight of the participants were subjected to low music volume while the remaining 40 were subjected to high volume music.

Design The study applied a quasi-experimental design in which each category of the participants was exposed to the music volumes while studying. Posttest was then administered to the groups to determine their memory recall. Music volume is the independent variable while memory recall is the dependent variable. Procedure The participants were divided into two main groups that were each sub divided into sub groups. One group was subjected to rock music while the other was subjected to classical music.

For the classical music group, one sub group was subjected to loud, at 80 decibels, while the other sub group was subjected to soft music, at 60 decibels groups. Similarly, for the rock music group, one sub group was subjected to loud, at 80 decibels, while the other sub group was subjected to soft music, at 60 decibels groups. The participants studied with the music in the background for five minutes and were then tested on memory recall for the next five minutes. Results The results shows a higher mean of memory recall in high music volume, 5.

025, as compared to the mean in low music background that is 4.7632 on a score of 1 to 10 as shown in table 1. The Kolmogorov test identified normal distribution of observations in both high and low music volumes as shown in table 2. The test for equality of means identifies high probability values for equal variance assumptions as shown in table 3. This leads to adoption of the null hypothesis. Discussion The difference in mean recall ability indicate that the participants who were subjected to higher music volume recalled more words than those who were subjected to lower music volumes.

The independent t test however does not reject the null hypothesis. This means that the identified mean recall difference across the groups is not significant. It is therefore attributable to errors or chance. Conclusion The study concludes that music volume during study does not affect people’s memory recall. Though individuals who studied under high music volume performed better, this performance is attributable to chance. The results are therefore consistent with previous research findings that converge to difference in effects of volume on memory recall.

The conclusion that there is no significant difference in effects of music volume on memory recall is also consistent with a majority of considered literature. The study therefore concludes that music volume does not significantly affect people’s memory recall. References Mabelebele, K. (2007). The effects of music on memory performance. University of Cape Town. Retrieved from: http://blogs.uct.ac.za/blog/ketumetse-mabelebele/2007/11/02/research-on-effects-of-music-on-memory. Mndizabal, T. and Caballero, K. (n.d.). Effects of gender and background music volume on working memory.

San Jose State University. Retrieved from: http://www.mikedillinger.com/SJSUpapers/MendizabalCaballero2009_workingMemory.pdf. Moore, A. (2009). The effects of music type and volume on memorization. Missouri Western State University. Retrieved from: http://clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edu/manuscripts/108.php. Appendix Table 1: Descriptive statistics Report Recall Volume Mean N Std. Deviation Minimum Maximum Median Range Variance low 4.7632 38 1.77725 1.00 8.00 4.5000 7.00 3.159 high 5.0250 40 1.96752 2.00 9.00 5.0000 7.00 3.871 Total 4.8974 78 1.86972 1.00 9.00 5.0000 8.00 3.

496 Table 2: Test for normalcy Tests of Normality Volume Kolmogorov-Smirnova Shapiro-Wilk Statistic df Sig. Statistic df Sig. Recall low .178 38 .004 .932 38 .023 high .145 40 .034 .945 40 .051 a. Lilliefors Significance Correction Table 3: Independent sample t test