Background instrumental music and serial recall

Journal/Book: Percept Mot Skills. 1997; 84: PO Box 9229, Missoula, MT 59807. Perceptual Motor Skills. 1307-1313.

Abstract: Although speech and vocal music are consistently shown to impair serial recall for visually presented items, instrumental music does not always produce a significant disruption. This study investigated the features of instrumental music that would modulate the disruption in serial recall. 24 students were presented sequences of nine digits and required to recall the digits in order of presentation. Instrumental music was played either forward or backward during the task. Forward music caused significantly more disruption than did silence, whereas the reversed music did not. Some higher-order factor may be at work in the effect of background music on serial recall.

Note: Article Nittono H, Osaka Univ, Fac Human Sci, Dept Gen Psychol, 1-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565, JAPAN

Keyword(s): SHORT-TERM-MEMORY; IRRELEVANT SPEECH; UNATTENDED SPEECH; WORKING MEMORY; DISRUPTION; ATTENTION

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