Nelson ::: ENGL 1302 ::: Fall 2022

Essay 1 Experiment Proposal

Name of Student Researcher Course Number, Meeting Days & Time

Fernando M Gomez ENGL 1302 – 101, M/W/F 8:30-9:25AM

Research Question (answer cannot be known):

How does different types of music and levels of loudness affect reading concentration?

Hypothesis: If people listen to white noise or music without lyrics or calm, low-sound-level
music (Classical, Instrumental without Lyrics or with Lyrics somewhat upbeat), they will be
able to concentrate better on reading academic material.

Why is your research interesting and important?

Research suggests that listening to music during an academic task can reduce stress and may
help with memory and processing that requires thinking.

Variables
Independent (conditions that you will change in the experiment):
Type of Song
1. Classical/Instrumental (Without Lyrics) – Piano/Violin, Orchestra
E.g. Fur Elise by Beethoven, Overture by Mozart, etc.
2. Soft (Some with Lyrics) – Rhythm & Blues, Jazz
E.g. The. Moment by Kenny G,
3. Upbeat (HipHop Music, Popular Music, Pop)
E.g. Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson, Blinding Lights by The Weekend, etc.
4. Rock/Dubstep (Loud With/Without Lyrics)
E.g.
Level of loudness (Will be increased progressively at fixed time intervals (1mins.)) –
Correction: Will be held at fixed decibel level: 60-85 dB
Dependent (conditions you will observe and measure):
1. Concentration difficulty (Range: TBD – Maybe 0-5, 0 being “I was able to concentrate,
I forgot about the song” to 5 being “I couldn’t read at all – the song was a major
distraction”) / (Distractibility level)
2. Speed and effectiveness in reading (Time and pages read as score)
3. Mood Pre/Post reading – Can agree to multiple at a time: Focused, Motivated, Engaged,
Calm, Sleepy, Distracted, Unengaged, Irritated, Angry, Uncomfortable.
Controlled (aspects that you will keep consistent):
1. Same Songs (Order of “Type of Song” will remain the same; From acceptable to “hard-
to-deal-with” measuring ranges) – Correction: Only type of song will remain the same
per session. Automatic playlist will be used.
2. Same phone/listening medium (Phone speaker/Earphones)
3. Same random article(s) – Correction: Same Book of choice for each session.
Control Experiment (if any): Each participant will read the first article without sound or music -
a peaceful environment. A second article on a different subject with same level of cognitive
 Nelson ::: ENGL 1302 ::: Fall 2022

difficulty will be used with music. Correction: Only change is that instead of different articles,
it will be the same book for all sessions.

Materials:
 Volunteers (Approx. 5 – Or more?) Correction: Self will be experiment subject and
participant.
 Phone with Playlist (TBD) [Automatic]
 Survey with questions about concentration difficulty per song per sound level, and
mood (Pre and post task)
 About 5 academic journal and articles with similar reading levels – College level.
 Empty room.

Method:

 Participants will enter empty room individually and read the first article without music
(Session 1). Before, after and during they will fill out survey (Only first and last task –
on mood post and pre academic task). Time as score will be recorded on how long they
take to finish reading.
 Participants will enter room individually and read second article with first set of songs;
sound level will increase by one every minute until they finish reading the article
(Session 2). Before, after and during they will fill out survey. Time as score will be
recorded on how ong they take to finish reading.
 Repeat process of Session 2 for Sessions 3 through 5, each session corresponding to a
different type of music.
 Average score of all participants will be recorded per session.
 Filled out surveys and scores will be turn in after each session to be analyzed.
 Sessions to last less than 30 minutes [to about 1 hour].
 Caution: Decibel level will be maintained at around 60-85 dB. This is because “experts
recommend keeping sound levels at somewhere between [this range] to minimzed the
damage your ears are exposed to. If you are listening to music at around 100 deicibels,
restrict your usage to within 15 minutes. (“6 Simple Ways To Check If Your
Headphones Are Too Loud)
Diagram (graphically represent how you will record results from your experiment ):

Day 1 (No music)

Participant# / Survey Results (Mood) / Score (Time)
1.
2
3
4
5
Avg: / __________________/ ___________

Day 2 (Classical)
Participant# / Survey Results (Mood) / Score (Time)
 Nelson ::: ENGL 1302 ::: Fall 2022

1.
2
3
4
5
Avg: / __________________/ ___________

Day 3 (Jazz)
Participant# / Survey Results (Mood) / Score (Time)
1.
2
3
4
5
Avg: / __________________/ ___________

Day 4 (HipHop/Pop)
Participant# / Survey Results (Mood) / Score (Time)
1.
2
3
4
5
Avg: / __________________/ ___________

Day 5 (Rock)
Participant# / Survey Results (Mood) / Score (Time)
1.
2
3
4
5
Avg: / __________________/ ___________

*Note: Might need to add a column for reaction to increase in sound. Is there an increase
or decrease of reading effectiveness every time music is made louder? Also, observations
on behavior.

Expected Time (less than 1 week, but 3 days minimum): 5 days