Vikash Kara Year 13Candidate Number: 9379Centre Number: 15241

Investigating the Effect of Music on Cognitive Functioning In the Brain

Abstract:I am carrying out this investigation as it is an area of continuing debate the extent to which the areas of music and language processing in the brain might overlap, and whether musical training might have an influence the argument that music has a significant effect on cognitive ability has been researched for a long period of time This project was designed to investigate the effect of types of music on the cognitive function of the brain via measuring scores on a hazard perception test to see how much this affects driving ability Results showed that results show there is no significant relationship agreeing with the null hypothesis.

Experimental hypothesis:

There will be a positive effect on participants who listen to music participants whilst taking a hazard perception test compared to those who do not listen to music.

Null hypothesis: There will be no difference in scores when taking a hazard perception test whilst listening to music any recorded changes will be due to chance.

Research and Rationale:

The Experiment aims to investigate effect of musical activity on cognitive functioning in the brain. During normal driving most people listen to music via radios or CDs therefore I wanted to investigate how the music affect can be applied to driving ability.Biological research via brain research demonstrates that synapses grow stronger with use and become weaker if they are not used.Brain scans taken during musical performances show that virtually the entire cerebral cortex (central processing area of the brain) is active while musicians are performing. Almost every system of the brain is at work simultaneously during a music performance, and brain cells are rapidly sending messages. The "workout" that the brain experiences during a musical performance strengthens the connections between brain cells, allowing the brain to function more efficiently.5 therefore this indicated people who drive while listening to music have advanced connections between brain cells leading to better cognitive processing.Much research has been carried out into the effect of music ability on cognitive functioning and varied results have occurred Some studies have shown that music can enhance cognitive abilities Hall (1952) found that performance on reading comprehension tests was significantly improved when background music was playing. 58% of the 245 8th and 9th graders taking part in the study showed an increase in scores on the Nelson Silent Reading Tests2 however Fogelson found contradictory evidence when he studied the effects of popular instrumental music to eighth graders that were classified as bright and non-bright students. The results of her study showed that the control group with no music outperformed the experimental groups.3 The results from this investigation has practical applications, if cognitive ability, leading to memory is enhanced people can make more advanced decisions and have better reaction times, this could lead to the prevention of car accidents. This is why I have decided to conduct my study.

Methodology

Participants:20 Sixth form students from Manshead Upper School typically aging between 17-19, with equal gender were used. The sampling method used for this study was opportunity sampling. Participants were selected on the basis of availability during the school day. This method was used because it was an economical way to generate a large sample within the time constraints.Participants were involved in the study aged 17-19 and were from a wide range of socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.Experimental Design:Independent MeasuresThis design was used as it removes practice and order effects it also prevents using different tasks i.e. in both conditions participants undertook the same hazard perception test.Apparatus: The Official DSA Complete Theory Test Kit 2013 Edition (DVD-ROM and DVD) 7Computer Mouse Headphones YouTube loaded with Mozarts Requiem5

Operationalized Variables: Independent Variable: Whether or not participants listened to music Dependant Variable: Hazard perception scores

Risk Assessment:

Participants were protected from harm via using non harmful techniques i.e. watching a hazard perception tape this can be much less harmful than taking a driving test.Although participants could be potentially harmed via a traumatic experience whilst on the hazard perception test, therefore a thorough debrief was undertaken and also participants were offered to attend an hour long session explaining aims of the study and more about the effect of music on cognitive ability.I also considered informed consent via using a scripted brief containing information regarding consent to the study and also about what the study entails; this brief was read aloud to the participants before being signed by them.Another ethical issue considered was right to withdraw; this was explicitly stated in the scripted brief also I reiterated participants could leave at any time and have their results withdrawn.

Planning:

Firstly a trial experiment to verify that there are no deficiencies in the design of the experiment, testing for a floor or ceiling effect, checking the operation of equipment and ensuring reliability and validity throughout the trial

I have used the hazard perception test in The Official DSA Complete Theory Test Kit 20137 in which participants will be shown a series of 14 video clips on a computer screen. The clips featured everyday road scenes containing at least one developing hazard. I have used this test because it is unsafe to carry out a physical experiment.Eight eighteen year old participants of equal gender took part in the trial; these participants were split into two groups. Group one consisted of participants who were read aloud the scripted brief and were then set the task.The second set of participants in Group 2 were given the same brief however were given headphones to listen to Mozart Requiem during the task. The task took part in the school library around a computer.

A Mann Whitney U Test would be used to examine the data produced this is because I have used independent measures design, with ordinal data produced this test will rank the data for each condition, and then see how different the two rank totals4 The results from the trial are shown below

ParticipantGroup 1 Group 2Scores

1 45

2 42

3 39

4 37

Trial 1 Experiment results:

The results indicated that music actually deteriorated participants results in the hazard perception test, also the result found were actually much lower compared to the pass mark which is 53 however this could have been due to external noise being heard in the library by other students there are many extraneous variable that could not be accurately controlled therefore I decided to move the experiment to another room where there would not be any distractions. The results from the second trial are shown below ParticipantGroup 1 Group 2Scores

1 55

2 57

3 48

4 51

Trial 2 Experiment results:

In this trial all participants did much better compared to the initial trial carried out in the library, I believe this due to the noise distraction being withdrawn, also in these results it clearly shows group 2 who were listening to music when carrying out the experiment had higher score, however this could just be down to individual differences nevertheless I believe this second trial was adequate to carry on as the main procedure.

Procedure:

1.) 20 Participants were acquired using opportunistic sampling they were 6th Form students aged between 17-19

2.) The Participants were given an informed consent form to fill out and were fully briefed about the experiment

3.) The participants were then equally split in to two groups, Group 1 and Group 2, the participants in Group 1 are used as a control group whereas Group 2 will be the experimental group

4.) The participants were lead into an empty classroom one by one where the mock hazard perception test7 was already set up on the computer

5.) The participants were then explained how the hazard perception test works via a short video clip about how it works7

6.) Both Groups would then carry out their hazard perception test, however in the experimental group the loaded YouTube clip6 would be played via the headphones given to the participants'

7.) Results would be recorded on a table of results ( See Appendix )

8.) Participants were then given a thorough debrief at the end and were informed of their right to withdraw their results from the experiment

9.) The study will be repeated at a different time of the year with different participants to eliminate extraneous variables regarding time of year e.g. heat in the summer / lack of interest

10.) The researcher then analysed the results

Observation and Recording:

Results JULY 2013

Results JANUARY 2014

Interpreting and Evaluation:

Statistics:

I will use a Mann Whitney U Test to determine the data statistically (Calculations shown in appendices). I have chosen this test because this study has two different groups of participants which perform both conditions of the study: it is appropriate for analysing my data which has originated from an independent-measures design with two conditions4.

Experimental hypothesis:

There will be a positive effect on participants who listen to music participants whilst taking a hazard perception test compared to those who do not listen to music.Null hypothesis: There will be no difference in scores when taking a hazard perception test whilst listening to music any recorded changes will be due to chance.

Results from July 2013 Statistical Analysis: The results of the Mann Whitney U test showed there will be no difference in scores when taking a hazard perception test whilst listening to music. This is because at a 5% probabilities level the critical value of U1 (37) is lower than the critical value of 50 found in a data book.However when mean results were recorded (see Appendices) the control group were found to have a lower mean rank result of 9 compared to the experimental group of 12 providing contradictory evidence

Results from January 2014 Statistical Analysis: The results of the Mann Whitney U test showed there will be no difference in scores when taking a hazard perception test whilst listening to music. This is because at a 5% probabilities level the critical value of U1 (39) is lower than the critical value of 50 found in a data book. However when mean results were recorded (see Appendices) the control group were found to have a lower mean rank result of 9.25 compared to the experimental group of 11.75 providing contradictory evidence

Data Analysis:The results found indicate there is more than a 5% probability that the results occurred due to chance, and less than a 95% chance that the results are significantly different. This agrees with the Null hypothesis: There will be no difference in scores when taking a hazard perception test whilst listening to music any recorded changes will be due to chance.

Biological Principles: The part of the brain that I was most studying in this experiment is the frontal lobe, it is concerned with the higher brain functions such as decision making, reasoning, planning and consciousness of emotions, It is also responsible with forming associations (by combining information from the rest of the cortex) and with ideas. It includes the primary motor cortex which has neurones that connect directly to the spinal cord and brain stem and from there to the muscles. It sends information to the body via the motor neurones to carry out movements. The motor cortex also stores information about how to carry out different movements. I will also look at the temporal lobe as it is concerned with processing auditory information, i.e. hearing, sound, recognition and speech.

(11)

The reason I have studied these two parts of the brain is because the music played will be directly involved with the temporal lobe and will be processed, the frontal lobe which is responsible with forming association will link music with cognitive abilities. If an association is made between music then the frontal lobe should be more active and neurones should be more sensitive which will send information to the body to carry out efficient movements and hopefully help out whilst driving, as quick reactions while driving are essential as accidents are always prone and accurate decisions have to be made when stopping or speeding up, if music can help then this piece of research could pose high practical applications.

Evaluation:

The purpose of my study was to investigate the effect between music and cognitive ability for which at 5% significance level showed there will be no difference in scores when taking a hazard perception test whilst listening to music any recorded changes will be due to chance.There are many limitations to my research, the main problem is that the investigation was carried out by 16-19 year olds only; this was done as it was the quickest and easiest way. This prevents me from generalising conclusions regarding cognitive abilities and music as the memory of students is different compared to adults, this has been proven via much research conducted10 Further problems with the study could be practice effect I did not take into account that people aged 16-19 would either have revised for a hazard perception test or already passed, this is a serious extraneous variable and if I was to carry out my study again I would have to choose a different sample of varied ages.The study carried out has contradictory evidence to Hall 1952 2 and Fogelson 1 as no significant difference was found between cognitive ability and music, neither positive nor negative. However studies by Fogelson and Hall were used with 8th and 9th graders whose brain were not as developed as young adults used in my study age could be a significant factor when measuring connections between cognitive skills and music. The main problem with my study is I could not actually see brain functioning whilst my study was being carried out for practical purposes, therefore the temporal lobe and frontal lobe may have been more active when the music was played. The only way to test this would be to carry out a F-MRI scan whilst taking part in the study, this would show genuine movement in the brain and would allow me to correctly identify whether the music played had a significant difference.A further problem Identified is that I only used Mozart as my type of music this is a variant of classical music and is not listened to by many teens, therefore may not have helped boost the associations formation via the frontal lobe, if I was to carry out my study again I would have to choose a large variety of music.

Communicating

A Graph to show the Hazard Perception scores carried out in July 2013

This graph although showing higher results in most of the experimental groups has outliers where 4 people in the control group have higher scores than the experimental group therefore generalised conclusions were not able to makeGroup 2(EXPERIMENTAL)Group 1 (CONTROL)

A Graph to show the Hazard Perception scores carried out in January 2014

This graph although showing higher results in most of the experimental groups has outliers where 3 people in the control group have higher scores than the experimental group therefore generalised conclusions were not able to makeGroup 2 (EXPERIMENTAL)Group 1 (CONTROL)

Appendices:

Mann Whitney U Calculations:

I have used this formula when calculating my statistical analysis a simple version is shown below as well, I have used a formula described from a statistics book9 to carry out my Maan Whitney U Test

Here is the Formula I have used 1. I added up the ranks for the observations which came from sample 1. Where there were tied groups, I would take the rank to be equal to the midpoint of the group. The sum of ranks in sample 2 is now determinate, since the sum of all the ranks equals N(N + 1)/2 where N is the total number of observations.2. U is then given by:

Where n1 is the sample size for sample 1, and R1 is the sum of the ranks in sample 1.

The smaller value of U1 and U2 is the one used when consulting significance tables. The sum of the two values is given by

Knowing that R1 + R2 = N(N + 1)/2 and N = n1 + n2 , and doing some algebra, I found that the sum is

Mean Calculations:

The mean is the average of the numbers.To calculate I had to add up all the ranks, then divide by how many numbers there were, which there was 10 in each group

Statistical Results:

JULY 2013

JANUARY 2014

Manshead Upper SchoolDunstable RoadCaddington LU1 4BB01582 679400

Investigating the Effect of Music on Cognitive Functioning In the Brain

Consent FormPurpose: To determine effect on participants who listen to music participants whilst taking a hazard perception test compared to those who do not listen to music.

Procedure: If you agree to be in this study, you will be asked to do the following:

Carry out a Hazard Perception test while potentially listening to Mozart

Right to Withdraw and Confidentiality. Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary and you may refuse to complete the experiment at any point during the experiment. You understand that your name is being used only to help take down results, where you will be given a subject number and your name will no longer represent your results. During this time no-one will see your results other than yourself, and Vikash Kara, the conductor of the experiment and know that they are your results, where upon your own decision you may share them.

Contacts and Questions:At this time you may ask any questions you may have regarding this study. If you have questions later, you may contact Vikash at 07761490948 or 09karav@mansheadschool.co.uk

Statement of Consent:I have read the above information and fully understand the conditions. I have asked any questions I had regarding the experimental procedure and they have been answered to my satisfaction. I consent to participate in this study.

Name of Participant_________________________________________Date: __________ Signature of Participant ____________________________________________Age:

Bibliography:

1 Lucy L. M. Patston and Lynette J. Tippett. The Effect of Background Music on Cognitive Performance in Musicians and Nonmusicians. Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal Vol. 29, No. 2, Music Training and Nonmusical Abilities (December 2011), pp. 173-183

2 Hall, J. (1952) The effect of background music on the reading Comprehension of 278 eighth and ninth grade students. Journal of Educational Research, 45, 451-458.

3 Fogelson, S. (1973). Music as a distracter on reading-test performance of eighth grade students. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 36, 1265-1266.

4 Graham Hole Research Skills Mann-Whitney test handout version 1.0. Page 1

5 Source: "The Music in Our Minds" by Norman M. Weinberger.Published in Educational Leadership, Vol. 56, and No. 3: November 1998.

6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi8vJ_lMxQI last accessed 19 July 2013

7 The Official DSA Complete Theory Test Kit - 2013 (PC/Mac) which can bought from amazon on http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Official-Complete-Theory-Test/dp/0115532609/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393247995&sr=8-1&keywords=dsa+theory+test+2014+dvd last accessed 20 July 2013

8 (2009) Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology for Edexcel A2 Biology Student Book

9 Roger Fentem (1996) Discovering Advanced Mathematics, Statistics

10 Adelson, R. (2005, September). Mending memory. American Psychological Association Monitor.

11 http://theconversation.com/explainer-the-brain-11196

Evaluation of Sources:

Source (8) is an A-level Biology textbook, published by Nelson publishers in collaboration with theUniversity of York. Having been published for A-Level learning, it has been carefully examined and checked repeatedly by professionals so it is as accurate as possible. Also, the fact that this book is linked with the University of York, a reputable university that runs degree courses for people, further enhances its reliability as a source. However, the textbook is designed for 16-19 year olds which may mean that the information has been simplified to make it easier to understand and this may have compromised the accuracy, having said this, I have depended on this book mostly for background information such as the structure of the brain and functions of the different parts.

Most sources used (1, 2, 3, 5 and 10) have been from Scholarly, academic and peer reviewed refereed journals which have been published by a university press or academic association.The intended audience is professionals, researchers, or students in the discipline; and the language is often technical, requiring prior knowledge of the field.These sources can be classed as valid and reliable as they have undergone a thorough peer review before being published many researchers have thoroughly scrutinized all work making sure that there are no errors or results have not been falsified. Source 9 was a mathematics book focusing on statistics this was produced in 1996 by Roger Fentom who has a PHD in Mathematics and Statistics therefore he has gone through an established degree and is an expert in the field of stats and I can trust his method of calculating out my Maan Whitney U test, although this book was produced in 1996 there has been no changes in the calculation process I believe this is a valid and reliable resource.

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