Modern Psychological Studies

Volume 17 | Number 2

2012

The effect of music genre on a memory task

Darragh Bugter
Trevecca Nazarene University

Randy Carden
Trevecca Nazarene University

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Recommended Citation
Bugter, Darragh and Carden, Randy (2012) "The effect of music genre on a memory task," Modern Psychological Studies: Vol. 17 : No. 2
, Article 14.
Available at: https://scholar.utc.edu/mps/vol17/iss2/14

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MPS I The Effect of Music Genre I Bugter & Carden I pgs. 87 - 90

The Effect of Music Genre on a Memory Task

Darragh Bugter Randy Carden

Trevecca Nazarene University Trevecca Nazarene University

Abstract
This study examined the effects of two different music genres and silence on a memory task Sixty participants were randomly
assigned to three groups which were exposed to rap music, classical music or silence while playing the Concentration game. The
number of flips needed to complete the Concentration game was measured and served as the memory score. Results of a one-way
analysis of variance detected a significant difference between the groups. A planned post hoc analysis found that the classical
music group completed the Concentration game in significantly fewer flips than the rap group.
Keywords: music, genre, memory

Introduction (Patton and Offenbach, 1978). Anderson and Fuller,

2010, found that about 70% of students listen to music
Many different genres of music have been while studying. If most students study while listening
studied as to their effects on different variables. to music, concern could arise that listening to music
Classical music has been found to have a range of may have negative effects on cognitive performance.
effects from increasing purchases (Areni & Kim, 1993)
to affecting memory and cognition (Hallam, Price & As previously shown, classical and rap music
Katsarou, 2002). For example, Rausher, Shaw and Ky seem to have differing effects on cognition and
(1993) found that listening to classical music improved memory. What about the effect of silence on
intelligence and memory (the "Mozart Effect") but performance? The effect of silence on memory and
others have been unsuccessful in replicating these cognition is less clear than the effect of rap and
findings (Pietschnig, Foracek & Formann, 2010; Steele, classical music. Several studies were conducted which
Bass & Crook, 1999; McKelvie & Low, 2002). included silence and music as independent variables
with differing outcomes. Konecni (1982) stated that
A British radio station, called Classic FM, "all music processing utilizes cognitive capacity, so
specializes in western classical music whose listening to music impairs cognitive task performance"
programming is designed for relaxation (Dibben & (p. 44). It could be assumed from this statement that
Williamson, 2007) and relaxation has shown to be avoiding music and working in silence would produce
beneficial for the brain to work more efficiently higher cognitive task performance than music. Yet,
(Blanchard, 1979). If the brain works more efficiently, Anderson and Fuller (2010) found that silence did not
better memory may be a result. increase or decrease memory. Hallam, Price and
Katsarou (2002) however, in a study of primary school
A genre quite different from classical music children, found that participants performed better on a
that has received research attention is rap. Unlike cued recall task in a calming music condition than an
classical music, rap music tends to be fast, aggressive, aggressive music condition or silence.
and stimulating with about 100 beats per minute.
Classical music, on the other hand, tends to be much In the current study the effect of rap music,
slower with about 40 beats per minute. Rap music has classical music and silence on a memory task was
distracting cognitive effects (Dibben & Williamson, evaluated in an experiment similar to that conducted by
2007; Smith & Morris, 1977). Smith & Morris (1977) Eskritt and Lee (2005). Related research seems to show
found that stimulating music increased emotionality that classical music may have a positive effect on
and was related to poorer performance in participants memory, rap music may have a negative effect and
over those exposed to a more sedating kind of music. silence may have no effect on memory. The first
hypothesis was that there would be a difference
Music is very popular these days, especially between the three groups (classical, rap, and silence) on
among college students. Roy (2009, p. 505) stated, "It's a memory task score. Secondly, it was hypothesized
unusual for students not to be around music; she that the classical music group would have the best
explains that this is true because of the increased performance on a memory task.
availability of portable music devices and free music on
the interne." Most students play music while studying

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MPS I The Effect of Music Genre I Bugter & Carden I pgs. 87 - 90

Method the middle of the room. On each table there was a deck
of Concentration cards faced upside down in the same
Participants starting formation and a short demographics
questionnaire inquiring about participant age and
A total of 60 college undergraduates (24 men gender. Participants completed the experiment while
and 36 women) served as participants in this listening to either classical or rap music, or they
experiment. The participants had an average age of participated in silence. Once the Concentration game
20.25 (S.D. = 2.58). All participants were students from had been completed participants responded to the
a small, private, liberal arts university in the south. demographics questionnaire.
Participants were recruited from an upper level
psychology class, a general education biology class, The participants were observed through a two-
and a general education sociology class. All students way mirror without their awareness. The observer on
were given extra credit to participate in the experiment. the other side of the mirror counted the number of flips
The participants were randomly assigned to one of needed to finish the memory game.
three experimental groups; all groups had 20
participants. The music for the classical and rap conditions
was played at the same volume (Spintge and Droh,
Materials 1987), was instrumental to reduce distraction (Furnham
and Stephenson, 2007), and was thoughtfully selected.
The dependent variable in this study was the The classical piece selected was consistent with the
number of cards "flipped" to complete a game called research of Freeburne & Fleischer (1952). It was
Concentration (Milton Bradley, 1979). In the Symphony No. 5 Piano Concerto in E-flat Major by
Concentration game there are 40 cards. Each card has Beethoven (London Festival Orchestra, 1991) which is
an identical match; this means that each deck of slow with 48 beats per minute (BPM). For the rap
Concentration cards consists of 20 matches. Eskritt & music condition a Dutch piece was selected called Coke
Lee (2005) described the process: moet gepushed worden, by Kempi (2007) which has
about 120 BPM.
In Concentration, cards are placed face down
in an array randomly. A player turns over any After the participants finished the memory
card and then turns over a second card to look task, the experimenter entered the room, collected the
for the first card's match. If the cards match, demographics questionnaire and thanked the students
the player removes these cards from the array for participating in the study.
and then repeats the procedure. If the cards do
not match, they are turned back over. When Results
all matches are collected, the experiment is
completed (p. 255) The first hypothesis predicted that there would
be a difference between the three groups (classical, rap,
Design and silence) on a memory task score. The first
hypothesis was supported. The data were analyzed
An independent groups design was used in this with a one-way analysis of variance which showed a
experiment. Sixty participants were randomly assigned significant difference between the groups [F (2, 57) =
to 3 groups. One group was exposed to classical music 3.97, p = .02] (Table 1). The second hypothesis
and one to rap music while playing Concentration. The predicted the classical music condition would produce
3rd group played Concentration in silence. The the best performance on a memory task. This
dependent variable was the number of flips required to hypothesis was also supported with the group exposed
complete the game and was the operational definition to classical music completing the memory task in fewer
of memory. flips than the other groups. However, there was only
one significant difference between the groups. A
Procedure planned post hoc analysis (Scheffe) found that the
classical music group completed the Concentration
Sixty participants were randomly assigned to game in significantly fewer flips than the rap group
one of three groups which resulted in twenty (Table 2).
participants in each group. All participants were told
how to play the Concentration game, and were asked to The results supported the hypothesis with the
perform to their highest ability. Participants in each classical music group scoring the best on the memory
group were led into a room, approximately three at a
time. There were three tables and three chairs placed in

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MPS I The Effect of Music Genre I Bugter & Carden I pgs. 87 - 90

task with a significantly better memory task score than why. Dibben and Williamson (2007) suggested that
the rap group. participants performed worse in a rap condition due to
distraction. Was performance improved in the classical
Discussion condition, in the current study, due to a lack of
distraction? Or was the superiority of the classical
It was hypothesized that there would be a group related to relaxation that was associated with
difference between the three conditions (classical, rap, more soothing music? This theory may relate to the
and silence) on memory scores that resulted from findings of Smith and Morris (1977) that found that
playing the Concentration game. The results indicated poorer performance seemed to be related to heightened
that there was a difference between the three groups on emotionality. A second limitation relates to the limited
the scores of the memory task. Participants in the music genres that were tested (only classical and rap).
classical group scored significantly better on the
memory task than those in the rap group. No other In light of the current findings and limitations,
differences between groups were found. three recommendations for future research are in order.
First, more research should be done exploring these
These findings are consistent with the work of issues in an attempt to determine whether relaxing
Hallam, Price and Katsarou (2002) that found that music, like classical, has beneficial effects or
participants performed better on memory and cognitive aggressive music, like rap, has a distracting effect. Or
tasks when exposed to calming music as opposed to could it be that both are possible? Secondly, the effect
aggressive music. of other genres of music on memory should be
evaluated. Other types of music, both soothing and
Secondly, the current results support the aggressive, should be tested on a memory task. This
existing research suggesting that working in silence might shed light on the issue as to whether something
neither increases nor decreases performance (Anderson unique is occurring with classical and rap music or
and Fuller, 2010). whether it is a more general effect of soothing and
aggressive music. Thirdly, the effect of music on other
One major limitation is that while the current cognitive tasks should be evaluated. Is there a
study demonstrated that participants exposed to difference in performance between classical and rap
classical music outperformed those exposed to rap participants exposed to non-memory cognitive tasks?
music on a memory task, it does not help us understand

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Table 1

Group N Mean S.D

Classical 20 100.10 30.119

Rap 20 136.10 37.313

Silence 20 104.85 32.793

Table 2 Post Hoc — Multiple Comparisons (Scheffe)

Mean Sig.
Difference
I (Group) J (Group)
(I-J)

Classical Rap -36.000 .042

Silence -4.750 .943

Rap Classical 36.000 .042

Silence 31.250 .088

Silence Classical 4.750 .943

Rap -31.250 .088

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