This experiment aims to investigate whether or not recall of a list of words is influenced by playing classical music (Mozart) in the background. The psychological topic areas relevant to this are memory and recall. Memory can be defined as ‘the capacity to retain and later retrieve information’ (Baron 1992). Models of memory have been proposed to suggest how information is received, stored and later recalled when needed. The Two- Process Model or Multi-Store Model of Memory, devised by Atkinson and Schifrin (1968), suggests that memory comprises of three stores, the sensory memory, short term and long term memory.
They suggest that information detected by the five bodily senses, which is relevant to the individual, passes through each of these stores. Sensory memory can be held for approximately one second, but can be given further attention if necessary, by the short term memory. This is of limited capacity and can hold 7+2 pieces of information for approximately 15-30 seconds. If information is rehearsed / practised in the short term memory, it is passed onto the long term memory, where it can be stored for a lifetime.
However, Baddeley and Hitch (1974) challenged this theory, suggesting that recall was dependent on more than rehearsal. They asked ‘What is memory for?’ and suggested that it actively worked upon tasks at hand. Baddeley and Hitch suggest that memory is used for more intricate things than just remembering facts. They suggested that four aspects of memory interact to consciously decode information received by the senses. These four aspects are the central executive, the Articulatory loop, the visio-spatial scratch pad and the primary acoustic store. The central executive allocates both visual and auditory tasks to the other sub-sections, and with reference to information in the long term memory store, appropriate actions / responses are arrived at.
However, when there is noise in the environment, rehearsal and actively working on information received from the senses, is more difficult. Cohen et al, (1980) investigated whether environmental noise from aircraft influenced performance within school. To do this they compared the performance of pupils from ‘matched schools’ located under flight paths, with schools in a quiet environment. Students were tested on reading, memory, attention and stress responses. The results indicated that chronic aircraft noise exposure does not always lead to generalised cognitive effects, but rather more selective cognitive impairments (Cohen et al, Evans et al, Evans and Cohen, Wachs and Gruen).
Further research has, however, indicated that different individuals react differently to exposure to noise within the environment. Research into the influences of music on performance has, indeed, suggested that music actually improves performance. Dr. George Lozanov suggests that non-verbal classical music by artists such as Mozart and Baroque, can aid learning / recall by actively encouraging the brain to maintain a rhythm. The music, with its sixty beat per minute rhythm, stimulates the right side of the brain, preventing it from ‘wandering off’, whilst the left side of the brain absorbs the knowledge.
Extraneous factors which may influence performance upon the recall of a list of words include the serial position effect (Murdock 1962). This suggests that the words at the beginning and at the end of a list are more likely to be recalled than the words in the middle of the list. Craik and Lockhart (1972) theorised that attention and perception at the time of learning are key factors in recall i.e. the relevance of the material (words) presented to the individual receiver of information. They theorised that the more relevant the words are to us, the deeper they will be processed and therefore, the longer they will be available for recall.
Aim
This experiment aims to investigate whether or not the recall of a list of words is influenced by playing classical music (Mozart). The rationale for carrying out this experiment was because teachers always ask for silence in the class when tasks are set, whereas I prefer to play music whilst I work at home, and I do not think that it detracts from my performance. Based on the psychological research of Lozanov, as outlined above, a one tailed experimental hypothesis of ‘playing classical music (Mozart) during a memory test will increase the number of words remembered’, was adopted for this experiment. However to keep an open mind whilst conducting this experiment a null hypothesis of ‘there will be no significant relationship between whether or not music is played in the background and how many words the participants remember’, was also noted.
Method Design This experiment was carried out using a repeated measures design. This involves using the same group of participants in each condition of the experiment. In condition A, participants were presented with a list of words on a piece of paper and required to try and remember as many words from a list as possible, in silence. In condition B, participants were required to complete the same task, with classical music by Mozart playing in the background.
The independent variable within this experiment was the level of noise in the environment (whether or not there was music playing in the background). The dependent variable was how many words the participants could correctly recall from the list of thirty words presented. Potential extraneous variables included; the noise of the heater / outside noise and the fact that one participant was ill when involved in the second presentation of words. The door was shut to block out any outside noise and the heater was switched off to prevent it from distracting any of the participants. However, the participant who was ill still had to take part in order to ensure standardisation and to make reliable comparisons.
Participants
The target population for this experiment was approximately three hundred year twelve students, from which twelve people were selected using an opportunity based sample. This allowed immediate access to the participants and meant they did not need to be revisited. The twelve participants chosen were allocated to one of two groups. In condition A, they were asked to remember as many words as possible from a list of thirty words in silence. In condition B they were required to complete the same task but with classical music playing in the background. No special characteristics were required to take part in this experiment.