The Effects of Listening to Music on Concentration of the Psychology Students

by: Kristine Lei S. Espiritu

Abstract

Listening to music while studying has become a usual practice in the student population.

While one group of students claim it would enhance their curricular efficiency, on the other hand,

some researchers deny such assumptions. The overall objective of the study was to explore the effect

of music on the curricular activity of the student and whether this trend is to rule out it is beneficial

to the students in their academic performances. In studies conducted to learn about the effects of

musical distraction on cognitive task performance, the findings have demonstrated the idea of music

improving cognitive performance (Cockerton, Moore, & Norman, 1997), but there has also been

research contradicting those results, where music was found distracting for participants performing

cognitive tasks (Furnham & Bradley, 1997). The researcher hypothesized that those students who

listened to music while studying could make them concentrate better and recall more information

and those students who studied with the absence of music would recall less information. Participants

were selected randomly using the simple random sampling. There will be 200 student participants

from the Psychology Department with the age ranging from 19-23. A researcher-made questionnaire

will be used to measure the concentration of the students. The questionnaire will determine the

amount of concentration exerted by the students when exposed to music, or silent background. The

questionnaire is composed of images chosen carefully by the researchers to accurately assess the

participant’s concentration. The participants will be tasked to find certain things in the given image.

They will be given 15-20 minutes to finish the task. Data obtained from the responses of participants

compiled in the form of graphs and charts 47% believes that music helps them to concentrate while

studying. 29% claims that music would keep their mind calm, and 17% stated that it would prevent
sleepiness. 78 out of 80 students said that listening to music while studying distract their

concentration. Experimental data revealed higher incidence (75%) of correct answers while listening

to soft music than other fast track or instrumental music. The positive finding as obtained from the

study is relevant to justify the current trend of listening to music while studying as it may not pose

any adverse effects on the concentration of student. In fact, it might also improve the performance of

the student in their academic perspectives.

Introduction

Music nowadays plays a strong influence in today’s generation. Current studies have found

out that music has a lot of impact and benefits especially in relation to motivation and productivity

(Fox & Embrey, 1972). In studies conducted to learn about the effects of musical distraction on

cognitive task performance, the findings have demonstrated the idea of music improving cognitive

performance (Cockerton, Moore, & Norman, 1997), but there has also been research contradicting

those results, where music was found distracting for participants performing cognitive tasks

(Furnham & Bradley, 1997). These researches and studies talk about how music influences the train

of thoughts of the students, and how it affects their performance. These evaluates the impact of music

or without music in the background on the effectiveness of studying. The researcher hypothesized

that those students who listened to music while studying could make them concentrate better and

recall more information and those students who studied with the absence of music would recall less

information. In addition, it is hypothesized that students would concentrate better in accordance to

the genre or certain type of music they listened to.

This quantitative study has a design of experimental research that will determine the assessment and

comparison, if any, between two variables. This experimental research design will employ a Two

Group Design (Two Levels of IV), in which Two Independent Groups strategy will be applied

involving an experimental and control group. Moreover, the variables of this study will determine

the framework of this experiment. The two independent variables of this study are: studying with

the absence of music (1) and listening to music while studying (2). Subsequently, the dependent

variable is the concentration of the subjects- randomly selected students of Bachelor of Science in

Psychology. The outcome of this experiment will determine the effect of these two independent

variables to the concentration of the students.

Participants

There will be 200 student participants from the Psychology Department with the age ranging from

19-23. They will be chosen through simple random sampling. Four will be chosen from each year

level. The eight which consists of two students from each year level will be put on the music group,

and the other half will be put on the silence group. The criteria for the chosen age range is that people

at this group of age have an adequate attention span, or could do things for a longer amount of time.

Materials

In this study, a researcher-made questionnaire will be used to measure the concentration of

the students. The questionnaire will determine the amount of concentration exerted by the students

when exposed to music, or silent background. The questionnaire is composed of images chosen

carefully by the researchers to accurately assess the participant’s concentration and will be tasked
to find certain things in the given image. They will be also given a four sets of general questions and

asked to respond to correct answer while listening to different (instrumental, soft and fast) music

types. One of it was done without any background music, which served as a control of the study. The

data obtained from the responses were compiled appropriately and presented in the form of charts

and graphs. They will be given 15-20 minutes to finish the task. The independent variable would be

the presence of music, and silent background. Extraneous variables would be sex, age, year, learning

style, and the music genre. Our dependent variable is the concentration of the students, relying on its

relationship to the independent variables regarding it is positive or negative.

Procedure

This study was conducted to determine if there is an effect to the concentration of the students when

exposed to music, or just doing a task in a silent background. Quantitative research methods will be

utilized in order for the researchers to achieve the purpose of the study. The researchers will divide

the research participants into two groups, utilizing the two group design. The eight will be put in an

environment with the presence of music and the other eight will be put in a space where there will

be no presence of sound. To obtain the accurate data needed, a letter of permission will be submitted

to the Dean, Chairman, and the Adviser. After the letters were signed, the researchers will then

proceed with the experiment, and will let the research participants fill in the informed consent.

During the experiment the two groups will be given a questionnaire which is composed of images,

they will be tasked to find certain things in the given image. They will be given 15-20 minutes to finish

the task. The questionnaire will determine how concentrated they are when doing the task and also

it will determine if music is a hindrance or a boost. The students were also be given four sets of

general questions and asked to respond to correct answer while listening to different (instrumental,

soft and fast) music types. One of it was done without any background music, which served as a
control of the study. The data obtained from the responses were compiled appropriately and

presented in the form of charts and graphs.

Results

The researchers will analyze the data through the use of charts and graphs, which will be

utilized for comparing and analyzing the effect of the presence of music, or absence of music in the

background on the concentration of the students. Through graphs and charts the researchers will be

able to examine whether there would be a significant difference between students who do

complicated tasks with or without music. After the gathering of data, the researchers will then

determine and conclude based on the formulated test results.

Results of questionnaire study:

Upon asking frequency of listening to music, 52 out of 120 students (43%) responded that

they would prefer to hear to music when they feel like to listen. Whereas 36 students (30%) listen to

the music occasionally, 18 students (15%) chose every time and remaining 14 students (12%) said

most of the time (Figure 2). Based on this response, approximately 96% of the student agrees that

music helps them to concentrate on studies while remaining 4% do not agree with it.
 Figure 1- Incidence profile of students listening to music while studying

Furthermore, to study how music affects the different aspect of their task, 30% of them

listening to music only when they are bored, 24% while doing house chores and 18 % while

exercising. The rest of them are listening to music on other unspecified activity.

Figure 1: Duration of listening to music while studying

120) students (47%) believes that music helps them to pay attention while studying. 35 students

(29%) said that it keeps their mind calm, 20 students (17%) stated that it would prevent sleepiness

and remaining 9 (7%) students opined that listening to music shall block any external interference

like noises, etc. (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Reason for listening to music while studying as chosen by the students

The group of students who do not listen to music was asked for the reason for not preferred.

Out of 80 students, 78 of them (97.5%) responded as listening to music while studying would distract

their concentration (Figure 4).

The leading type of music preferred to listen while studying was attributed to pop song (82%)

followed by instrumental (70%), classical music (43%), rock music (36%) and heavy metal (14%)

music (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Type of music the student listens to while studying

Experiment based study:

It has been noted that (Figure 6), students those who have a habit of listening to various music

while studying could not score well without music (score 31%). A Higher percentage of correct

answers were obtained by the students while they are listening to soft music (75%) which was

followed by instrumental (67%) and fast track music (54%).

Discussion

Listening to music while studying is a common occurrence among the student population.

Different opinions have been put forward by various researchers in this aspect. While many studies

are favouring the hypothesis that, background music promotes the cognitive performance of the

students, few studies emphasized impaired performance by the students by listening to music while

engaged in complex cognitive tasks. The influence of music on cognitive performance has also linked

to personality types. The pop music, in particular, serves as a distractor in the cognitive performance

of both introverts and extroverts.

The results of present study show that the students have a positive perception towards music

while studying. This real insight is perhaps due to the current trend in the student population where

most of them enjoy listening to music. Apparently, the students do not listen to music all the time

while they are studying. The majority of them only listen to it when they are in the right frame of

mind. Only a small group of student listen to it most of the time. The psychological basis for this

attitude could be regarded to the music as an alternative to keep them motivated. Music is also
considered as a positive mood changer as it exerts a positive perception of the work done. The

elevation of positive mood by music inevitably improves the concentration of student while studying.

Upon assessing the type of music that works best in improving the concentration of

participants of the present study, 75% of them seemed to have a better concentration with slow

music. The lowest incidence was attributed to the task with no music, as only 31% of them were able

to answer the entire question correctly. As the music become faster and louder, the attentiveness of

student started to diminish. This finding seems to suggest two possibilities: either student enjoys

listening to pleasant or soft music during an ongoing task to enhance the concentration or, as the

music becomes louder and faster it naturally becomes a noise rather than music. This noise interferes

with the ability of the student to perform a particular set of question that eventually might decrease

their concentration.

References

Cockerton, T., Moore, S., & Norman, D. (1997). Cognitive test performance and background music.

Perceptual and Motor Skills, 85(3, Pt 2),

Etaugh, C., & Ptasnik, P. (1982). Effects of studying to music and post-study relaxation on reading

comprehension. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 55(1), 141-14

Epperson, G. (2020, December 24). Music. Encyclopedia Britannica.

Furnham, A., & Bradley, A. (1997). Music while you work: The differential distraction of background

music on the cognitive test performance of introverts and extraverts. Applied Cognitive Psychology,

11(5) 445-455.
Jill M. Strauser, MA, RMT, The Effects of Music Versus Silence on Measures of State Anxiety, Perceived

Relaxation, and Physiological Responses of Patients Receiving Chiropractic Interventions, Journal of

Music Therapy, Volume 34, Issue 2, Summer 1997, Pages 88–10

Anderson, T. H., & Armbruster, B. B. (1980). Studying. Center for the Study of Reading Technical

Report; no. 155

Mistry, H. (2015). Music While You Work: The Effects of Background Music on Test Performance

amongst Extroverts and Introverts. Journal of Applied Psychology and Social Science, 1(1), 1-14.

Busato, V. V., Prins, F. J., Elshout, J. J., & Hamaker, C. (2000). Intellectual ability, learning style,

personality, achievement motivation and academic success of psychology students in higher

education. Personality and Individual differences, 29(6), 1057-1068.

Milliman, R. E. (1982, Summer). Using Background Music to Affect the Behavior of Supermarket

Shoppers . Retrieved August 01, 2013, from JSTOR: Gardiner, S. (2001). Ten minutes a day for silent

reading. Educational Leadership, 59(2), 32-35.

Ganser, J., & Huda, F. (2010). Music’s effect on mood and helping behavior. Journal of Undergraduate

Research,

Lin, D. T. A., Choo, L. B., & Pandian, A. (2012). Learners’ perceptions of sustained silent reading

practices in tertiary classrooms. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 55, 266-274

Hughes, J. R., & James, W. H. (2001). The mozart effect. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 94(6),

316-317.
 Consent Form

The Effects of Listening to Music on Concentration of the Psychology Students

This research aims to evaluate the impact of music or without music in the background on the
effectiveness of studying. To achieve this is by using an experimental research approach where the
student’s concentration will be tested through two separate rooms, one is with music and the other
one has a silent background. The researchers hypothesized that students who listened to music while
studying could make them concentrate better and recall more information and those students who
studied with the absence of music would recall less information. In addition, it is hypothesized that
students would concentrate better in accordance to the genre or certain type of music they listened
to. A researcher-made questionnaire will be used to measure the concentration of the students. The
questionnaire will determine the amount of concentration exerted by the students when exposed to
music, or silent background. The questionnaire is composed of images chosen carefully by the
researchers to accurately assess the participant’s concentration. The participants will be tasked to
find certain things in the given image. They will be given 15-20 minutes to finish the task. The
researcher will make sure that all the data that has been gathered is confidential. The name of the
participants will be optional. As long as the extraneous variables (sex, age, year, learning style, and
the music genre) would be mentioned. Participants has the right to withdraw the research if they
dislike and uncomfortable to the procedures. Participants will be given contact numbers of the
researcher incase they want to obtained further information they need in the future.

Have you received enough information about the study?

YES NO

Do you consent for your data to be used in this study and retained for use in other studies?

YES NO

Do you understand that you do not need to take part in the study and that you can; withdraw your
participation at any time without reason or detriment?
YES NO

_____________________ Kristine Lei Espiritu

Signature over Printed Name Researcher

Writing a set of Standardized Instructions for a Psychological Investigation

Writing a Debriefing Form for a Experimental Report