Transcript Puzzle Connection: A Study On The Effects Of Music Tempo

Puzzle Connection: A Study On The Effects
Of Music Tempo On Memory
Judi Davidson
Fort Lewis College
“Music has the charms to soothe the savage
beast”
William Congreve
Does Music affect Memory?
• Mid 20th Century
• Factors that seem to affect memory
• Music has been found to stimulate many
different parts of the brain and body
• Psychological study of music is based on
this reason
Prior Research
• Alzheimer’s
• Mozart Effect
• Context-dependent memory and music as a
contextual element
• Music tempo studies
Does tempo of classical music affect recall of
words from short-term memory?
2x2 Between Subject Factorial
L
T
L
T
Fast
Fast
tempo tempo
Slow
tempo
Slow
tempo
Fast
Slow
Tempo tempo
Slow
tempo
Fast
tempo
Control
24
23
Results
22
Means Plots
21
20
18.0
control
Condition
fast-fast
Mean of Number of Words remembered
19
fast-slow
slow -slow
slow -fast
17.5
17.0
16.5
16.0
15.5
control
Condition
fast-fast
fast-slow
slow -slow
slow -fast
Descriptive Statistics
Dependent Variable: Number of Words remembered
Slow
Total
Testing Tempo
Fast
Slow
Total
Fast
Slow
Total
Fast
Slow
Total
Mean
16.75
16.40
16.56
15.80
17.80
16.80
16.22
17.10
16.68
Std. Deviation
2.90
3.96
3.47
3.55
4.60
4.16
3.25
4.28
3.82
N
12
15
27
15
15
30
27
30
57
Means of Number of Words remembered
18.0
17.5
Es ti mated Margi nal Means
Learning Tempo
Fast
17.0
16.5
Te sti ng Tempo
16.0
Fast
15.5
Slow
Fast
Learni ng Tempo
Slow
Descriptive Statistics
Dependent Variable: Number of Words from puzzles found
Slow
Total
Testing Tempo
Fast
Slow
Total
Fast
Slow
Total
Fast
Slow
Total
Mean
20.00
20.00
20.00
19.80
23.40
21.60
19.89
21.70
20.84
Std. Deviation
5.27
3.46
4.27
2.81
2.41
3.16
4.00
3.41
3.78
N
12
15
27
15
15
30
27
30
57
Means of Number of Words from puzzles found
24
23
Es ti mated Margi nal Means
Learning Tempo
Fast
22
21
Te sti ng Tempo
20
Fast
19
Slow
Fast
Learni ng Tempo
Slow
Tempo
Learning vs Testing
• Music had more effect on number of words
found than number of words recalled
• In Learning, people tend to do better in slow
tempo condition than in fast tempo
condition
• Changing tempo had an effect
• However Learning with slow tempo no help
unless tested with slow tempo
Conclusion
• 95% confidence testing in slow tempo does
better than fast
• If not testing in same condition as learned
in, recall is not as good
• However, more effect on performance on
task than recollection of words
Therefore……..
Classical Music Tempo has a
effect on recall of words from
short-term memory
WHY?