Isabella Meyn

Listen and work: Understanding music's cognitive impacts.

 

Many scientists and teachers are divided with regard to the true cognitive impact that listening to music has on students while they are learning, arguing that it is either a non-issue, helpful or detrimental. Effects on learning could vary depending upon the type and volume of the music being listened to.

 

Some students choose to listen to music while working, paying no mind to volume nor genre, and don’t comprehend the potential damaging effects that this could have on their productivity. A study conducted by Smith and Morris in 1977 showed that when asked to repeat a set of numbers, the participants performed worse when listening to their own music in comparison to the experimenter's or no music at all. This is because the students’ preferred music was serving as a distraction rather than as a productive tool for concentration.

 

However, a study published by Pavlygina Ra in 1999 showed that a person’s ability to recognize images, letters, and numbers showed increased efficiency when listening to rock or classical music at different volumes and styles and demonstrated decreased efficiency when listening to repetitive musical fragments over and over at the same volume.

 

Additionally, another study conducted by Karen Allen in 1994, tested the speed, accuracy, and bodily reactions of surgeons during surgery. It showed that, while the reactivity displayed while listening to their own music was worse in comparison to listening to no music or the experimenter’s music, the speed and accuracy was significantly better while listening to their own music.

 

Given the mixed results of these studies, and since everyone’s personal experience with music while learning or working is different, there appears to be no way to concretely determine the positive or negative effects of music on the brain. It is likely best to act according to one’s own results. One should listen to music if it is believed helpful, and don’t listen if it’s not. If one’s choice is to continue listening to music while working, Mikael Cho, a writer focused on work habits, provides the following suggestions to minimize detriment to performance:

• When learning something new, dopamine levels in the brain increase, causing a loss of interest in work. So, remember to chose music that is familiar;

• Classical, instrumental, and ambient music has been shown to enhance concentration more than music with lyrics, therefore songs with little or no lyrics could help maintain stronger focus and;

• Music helps with both simple, and specially trained tasks. Thus when working on or studying a new subject, it’s likely better to not listen to music at all.

 

 

 

Bibliography:

 

 

Sweeny, Ryan M., M.A. "Making Sense of the Mozart Effect." University of Notre Dame (2006): 1-48. Web.

 

 

Allen, Karen, PhD. "Effects of Music on Cardiovascular Reactivity Among Surgeons." JAMA Network. JAMA Network, 21 Sept. 1994. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

 

 

Ra, Pavlygina. "Recognition of Visual Images in a Rich Sensory Environment." Thesis. Russian Academy of Sciences, 1999. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

 

 

Cho, Mikael. "Listen While You Work: What Music Does to Your Brain." Crew Blog. Crew, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

 

 

Hong, Jane. "Music Helps Learning!" LivingSU Blog. DSA, 26 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. (image 1)

 

 

"Journey of Discovery Starts toward Understanding and Treating Networks of the Brain." DARPA RSS. DARPA, 27 May 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.