Soria 1

Valeria Soria

ENGL 1302-218

Dr. Sharity Nelson

19 April 2023

Music and Cognition

Introduction

 Music has been around for decades, and technology advancements allow individuals to

have it almost available on any device. Due to its high usage, many tend to use it when trying to

complete tasks so their minds will not wander. Some college students have a tendency to listen to

music when studying for courses to concentrate better. Although, many prefer to have no music

of any genre playing since it is considered a distraction for them. According to Lehmann and

Seufert, the ability to concentrate with background noise relates to a student’s mental capacity

level; the higher a student’s mental capacity, the better they perform the task (9). Another article

begs to differ since Tze states, “Music […] is more distracting and has a greater effect on task

performance and concentration” (1). It remains uncertain how the music genre relates to

cognition. This research aims to discover music’s effect on an individual’s concentration levels.

Therefore, an experiment was conducted with a subject for four days straight with different

genres of music, noting down the time, environment, course subject, and grade of the assignment

the participant was reviewing for.

Experiment Information/Method

            A four-day research experiment was conducted to determine if listening to music of a

different genre each day would affect the concentration levels of a college student. The usage of
 Soria 2

a college student at Texas A&M International University was essential since young adults are

almost constantly listening to music. The experiment was conducted over the course of four

days, from Wednesday through Saturday, allowing different course subjects to be put to the test.

The research would be separated into four different trials, each consisting of a different genre for

each day. Such as, day one was pop, day two alternative/indie, day three country, and day four

rock. Each genre of music would be listened from 30 minutes to a maximum of 45 minutes. 

           Materials used in this research included the participant’s cell phone, class/study schedule,

and the assigned course materials. Controlled aspects that would remain the same in the subject’s

daily routine would be the time of day. A factor that was put into doubt was the environment;

therefore, the studying sessions would take place half in a quiet place and the other in a public

place with the intention of receiving more specific results. However, the grades for the

assignment the participant reviewed highly depended on every factor. Overall, the method would

help the results be more detailing. 

Results

      The results of this research were based on the subject since they were assigned to listen to

unknown music. The data collected in this research showed that although there was a sufficient

increase in academic level during the first two days having the genre of pop and alternative/indie,

each consisting of different minutes, the same environment could have impacted the increase in

concentration. However, the outcome was the lowest on day four, but it had the same

surrounding factors as day three. Examining each trial closely allows for the results to be precise,

indicating an increase in the student’s concentration levels. As mentioned before, the highest

score for one of the assignments was during day one, which indicates that music raises awareness
 Soria 3

levels due to the song being soft and the environment quiet. Compared to trial four (final day),

the individual demonstrated that the genre rock, to an extent, was not helpful since the

surroundings on that day were loud.  

140

120
120

100
100
90

80
70

60
45 45
40
30 30

20

0
Pop Alternative/indie Country Rock

Minutes Grade

Discussion 

Cognitive Functions

The first factor that suggested that music played a part in doing better in academic studies

was the grades that reflected the participant’s concentration. On Wednesday, the participant was

asked to listen to the pop genre while reviewing for the history quiz on Thursday. During this

research, little change can be noticed as the days go by, allowing for a sudden decrease by day

four. The cause for the decrease could have been related to the genre change, 45 minutes of rock,

or the environment. In an article written by Peter Tze, it is known as the “attention drainage

effect,” when the music is too loud for an individual, causing the attention to drain (4).
 Soria 4

Concluding that, on day four of the experiment, the individual could have suffered from the

attention drainage effect. 

In contrast, the first few days could have been the excitement of beginning the study. The

article “Music, Memory and Emotion,” by Lutz Jancke, states that music allows more blood flow

into the brain, awakening a part of the nervous system that allows an individual, when listening

to music, an increase in some “psychological functions” (Jancke 4). Jancke states that some of

the activated functions are memory, attention, and imagery. Indicating that music has the

capacity to allow individuals to memorize almost anything. Thus, explaining the overall

achievement that was accomplished on day one.

Surroundings

The second factor that was put to the test was the surroundings of where the studying

sessions were taking place. In a study conducted by Peter Tze, it was concluded that the “best

place for a student to study is in a quiet room” (9). When looking back at the experiment, the

environment played a factor in leading to the outcome. For instance, Kumar et al states that “as

music becomes faster and louder, the attentiveness of the student […] diminish” (5). This

explains the conclusion on trials one and two since the chosen genre was calmer along with the

environment compared to the final day, where the genre was rock, and the surroundings were in

the university cafeteria. The data could indicate that music played a role in an individual’s

cognition; the decline by day four indicates that the louder the music or surroundings, the less

information the participant could digest. 

Conclusion
 Soria 5

The research experiment concluded that listening to background music affects an

individual’s cognitive functions and acknowledging that the environment is also essential. This

research demonstrates that when the subject listened to rock music, their data digestion was not

at its finest. On the fourth day, the environment was a public place, causing the subject to have a

more challenging time processing what was being read, resulting in the grade being the lowest

out of the four. Compared to the first two trials, which were held in the comfort of the subject’s

home allowed for the only background noise to be the music. The findings of this research are

significant since many college students, even adults, depend on music to do better in their daily

tasks. Overall, music influences the academic achievements of students; however, some

uncertainties still remain present since not all musical genres were covered in this study, and

more research should be done to determine if other genres, such as jazz, blues, or folk music

pose a contribution to the cognitive functions.

 Soria 6

Work Cited

Jancke, Lutz. “Music, Memory, and Emotion.” Journal of Biology, vol. 7, no. 21, 2008, pp.1-5.

BioMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1186/jbiol82

Kumar, Naveen, et al. “The Effect of Listening to Music on Concentration and Academic

Performance of the Student; Cross-Sectional Study on Medical Undergraduate Students.”

Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences, vol.7, no. 6, 2016, pp.

1190-95. Research Gate, https://doi.org/10.20527/jetall.v3i1.7779

Lehmann, A.M. Janina, and Tina Seufert. “The Influence of Background Music on Learning in

the Light of Different Theoretical Perspectives and the Role of Working Memory Capacity.”

Background Music and Learning, vol. 8, no. 1902, 2017, pp. 1-11. Frontiers in Psychology,

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01902

Tze, Ming Chou Peter. “Attention Drainage Effect: How Background Music Effects

Concentration in Taiwanese College Students.” Journal of the scholarship of Teaching and

Learning, vol. 10, no. 1, 2012, pp. 36-46. Research gate, web

https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/josotl/article/view/1733.