The Effects of Music Presence on Auditory Verbal Working Memory

Abstract

Background and Aim : Music exists in all cultures; many scientists are seeking to understand how music affects cognitive development such as comprehension, memory, and reading skills. More recently, a considerable number of neuroscience studies on music have been developed. This study aimed to investigate the effects of null and positive background music in comparison with silence on auditory-verbal memory performance. Methods : Forty young adults (male and female) with normal hearing, aged between 18 and 26, participated in this comparative-analysis study. An auditory and speech evaluation was conducted in order to investigate the effects of background music on working memory. Subsequently, the Rey auditory-verbal learning test was performed in three different conditions: silence, positive, and null music. Results : The mean score of the Rey auditory-verbal learning test in silence condition was higher than the positive music condition (p=0. 003) and the null music condition (p=0. 01). The tests results did not reveal any between genders differences. Conclusion : It seems that the presence of competitive music (positive and null music) and the orientation of auditory attention have negative effects on the performance of verbal working memory. It is possibly due to the intervention of music with verbal information processing in the brain.