Abstract

Previous research indicates that music can act as an environment in which a context-dependance can be observed. Orchestral music by Tchaikovsky was used to provide a context for a free recall task. Participants were randomly assigned to music or silent for study and for test. They studied 20 words, performed a 4-minute distraction task, and then were asked to recall the studied words. The results did not provide evidence that music acts as a context-dependent factor, but it did provide some support for a positive disruption effect. The study-silent/test-silent group performed significantly worse than the music-present groups. The evidence seems to suggest that when music is present during either study or test, but not both, memory benefits.

Advisor

Foster, Nathan

Department

Neuroscience

Disciplines

Cognitive Neuroscience

Keywords

Music, Long-Term Memory, Context-Dependent Memory, Self-Regulated Learning

Publication Date

2021

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2021 Brandon Robert Woolman