music and performance: can music help you study? john smith jane doe brian williams
TRANSCRIPT
Music and Performance: Can music help you study?
John SmithJane Doe
Brian Williams
Is music helpful or harmful in the context of performing a task?
Multitasking – Engaging in several tasks simultaneously.
Does Mozart makes you smarter? Baby Einstein videos and audio CDs are sold to help make babies smarter in utero. Is there reason to believe that they will work?
Assumption: Certain kinds of music enhance brain functioning.
Introduction
Music can affect performance in one of three ways. It can:
1. distract your attention2. affect arousal3. elevate/affect mood
Music without lyrics has been found to increase the productivity of repetitive tasks, like those performed by factory workers. However, the key is to introduce the music when work starts slowing down.
Research on Music and Productivity
Up-tempo, pleasing music can boost your mood and be motivational. For example, college students did better on an IQ test after listening to an upbeat selection by Mozart than after a slow piece of classical music.
Pop music is a hindrance! Particularly when the music has
lyrics, most pop music interferes with reading comprehension and information processing.
More Research
Music may be helpful for certain kinds of tasks, but not others.
If you’re doing a repetitive task, listen to upbeat instrumental music when you feel yourself lagging behind.
For difficult tasks:- calming, non-lyrical music
may help- Avoid pop music!
Conclusion
Fox, J. G., & Embry, E. D. (1972) Music—An aid to productivity.
Schellenberg, E. G., Nakata, T., Hunter, P. G., & Tamoto, S. (2007). Exposure to music and cognitive performance: Tests of children and adults.
Dosseville, F., Laborde, S., & Scelles, N. (2012). Music during lectures: Will students learn better?
References