Studying with song: How music can help you learn

Question

The claim that music can aid learning, as presented in the Coppell Student Media article, is only partially supported by scientific research. The effectiveness of music during study sessions depends on a plethora of different factors.​ A study published in The Times found that listening to upbeat instrumental music, or "groovy" music, can enhance cognitive performance and mood. Participants who listened to such music completed tasks 7% faster without compromising accuracy and reported an improved mood. The researchers attributed these benefits to the rhythmic qualities of the music enhancing both mood and mental agility.​ However, other studies do suggest that the impact of background music on learning is influenced by individual differences and the nature of the task. If it's a mindless piece of homework, it's easier to knock it out with some music playing. But if it's an assignment that requires lots of focus and thinking, music can be a distraction. Research published in Frontiers in Psychology indicated that background music's effect on learning outcomes is moderated by the learner's working memory capacity. Specifically, individuals with higher working memory capacity showed improved comprehension when studying with background music, whereas those with lower capacity performed better without it.

Answer 1

The claim that music can help you learn is a bit exaggerated. While it can improve your mood, concentration, and motivation, it can also have the opposite effect differing person to person. It comes down to the kind of person you are and the kind of work you have to do. According to Healthline although mixing music and studying can be helpful music can also lower reading comprehension depending on the time of music and level of reading. Overall, while music can be helpful for some its not a proven science or some ultimate study hack, it's different from person to person.

https://www.healthline.com/health/does-music-help-you-study#fa-qs

Answer 2

While the Coppell Student Media article suggests that music can aid learning, scientific research shows that this claim is more complicated. Studies like the one published in The Times highlight that upbeat instrumental music can improve cognitive performance and mood, helping people complete tasks faster and more accurately. But, these benefits only seem to apply to only simple or repetitive tasks. More complex tasks that demand more thinking or your full concentration will often suffer when background music is introduced, especially for people with a lower working memory capacity, as reported by Frontiers in Psychology. So, the effectiveness of music as a study aid is highly dependent on the person and what type of task they are doing, making it hard to fully call this claim accurate or not. 

https://www.youngsproutstherapy.com/blog/listening-to-music-vs-silence-study-benefits

Answer 3

Looking at a website from the university of Maryland, the use of music has been around for centuries and has been recognized to support relaxation and meditation. In early childhood education, music has been proven to support self-regulation, cognitive and intellectual development, literacy, and language no matter the age. The professor says that it has to be the correct music like instrumental or ambient and it could block out distractions. She also suggests that this music is more beneficial because it doesn't allow the student studying to get caught up in the song lyrics. She goes on to talk about how loud music can distract you if it's too loud or if you know every word to the song, it can pull your attention away from your work. This article does state that music can help but it does need to be the right music and not music that you know the words to. So in the right space, music does help, but not every type of music works.

https://www.umgc.edu/blog/how-music-can-help-you-study

Answer 4

I think this source is reliable, but it really is all dependent on individual experiences when it comes to study habits and how music helps/hurts. In this article by Prathi Kumar, she makes great points about how the reason people can focus when studying with music on, is because specific areas of their brain used for attention are being targeted. To see if this claim was true, I researched another article done by Florida National University “The Benefits of Studying with Music”. This article mentions how both the right and left side of the brain is activated when listening to music, one side responsible for language and processing of that language, so it makes sense. The article mentions a study that stanford university did to prove htis theory, saying how, “music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory” (Florida National University). Obviously listening to music is totally up to a person’s preferences, but it is interesting to know that it can be beneficial as seen in these two articles. 

https://www.fnu.edu/benefits-studying-music/ 

Answer 5

It is to be understood that the claim of 'music helping learning' has limited and conditional support. While instrumental music may help with certain cognitive tasks or improve mood, music with lyrics can often hinders the act of studying by competing for the listener's attention with the task at hand. Understanding this, he impact of music on studying varies greatly depending on the individual, the type of music, and the nature of the learning material, suggesting it's not a universally effective study strategy. Therefore, those who study should experiment to determine what, if any, type of music supports their individual learning needs without becoming a distraction.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10765015/

https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0292/ch5.xhtml

https://www.learningguild.com/articles/musical-dissonance-in-elearning-how-music-can-hinder-learning/

Answer 6

Music can help some people while studying, but its effectiveness largely depends on the individual and the type of task. A study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that individuals with stronger working memory performed better when studying with background music. In contrast, those with lower working memory retained more information and focused better when studying in silence. This suggests that while music can be beneficial for some, it can also serve as a distraction, especially during tasks that require deep concentration. Beyond personal differences, the type of music also plays a role. Upbeat or instrumental music might boost mood and speed up work on simple tasks, but it can interfere with more complex assignments. Music without lyrics is often recommended for studying, as lyrics can consume cognitive resources and make it harder to concentrate. Overall, while music can sometimes enhance studying, it’s not the best choice for everyone, and its impact depends on both the person and the nature of the task.

Source.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01902/full?

Answer 7

This article was published but Coppell Student Media group. The source they are looking at seem to be originated from The Times as the statements compare in similarity but the article does clearly outline that this varies across different song genres and listening methods. The study does also imply that it increases mood and performance but does not specify further. Another article also touches on the engagement of both “sides of the brain”, however this does not contribute to memory which is a key component of studying. Overall I would say this is misleading but has some truth to it.

Answer 8

Looking at the article from University of Maryland, the first paragraph it states that the information gathered is from One Study. "The benefits of music have been recognized for centuries, with cultures around the world using the beat of drums or vocals to aid in relaxation or meditation. Music-based activities in early childhood education have proven to support self-regulation, cognitive and intellectual development, literacy, and language. No matter their age, students can continue to benefit from music to help their academic performance. " The psychology director at University of Maryland says that folks respond differently to music, for example some genres will be more calming than other for different people. This article helps back up the original claim by stating this in their article, "The right choice of music, such as instrumental or ambient music, can help block out distractions, improve concentration, and maintain attention during study sessions.” 

Answer 9

The claim that music can aid learning, as presented in the Coppell Student Media article, is only partially supported by scientific research. The effectiveness of music during study sessions depends on a plethora of different factors.

Fact-check:
Partially true. While certain studies support the claim that background music can enhance cognitive performance and mood, the effect strongly depends on individual differences and the complexity of the task being performed.

Evidence:
A recent study published in The Times found that listening to upbeat instrumental or "groovy" music can improve cognitive performance, enabling participants to complete tasks approximately 7% faster without compromising accuracy. Researchers attributed these improvements to the rhythmic qualities of the music enhancing both mood and mental agility.

However, the benefits of background music aren't universal. Research published in Frontiers in Psychology (Lehmann & Seufert, 2017) indicated that the effects of background music are moderated by individual differences, specifically working memory capacity. Individuals with higher working memory capacity benefited from background music during studying, showing improved comprehension, whereas individuals with lower working memory capacity performed better without music. Additionally, music can be beneficial for simpler or repetitive tasks but potentially distracting during complex assignments requiring significant cognitive effort.

Conclusion:
Music's effectiveness as a study aid varies significantly based on individual cognitive factors and task complexity. Thus, the original claim from Coppell Student Media is indeed only partially supported by scientific evidence.

Sources:

• "Groovy music 'boosts brainpower as well as mood'," The Times.
  https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/groovy-music-boosts-brainpower-as-well-as-mood-t9vvlpx8x

• Lehmann, J. A. M., & Seufert, T. (2017). "The Influence of Background Music on Learning in the Light of Different Theoretical Perspectives." Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1902.
  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5671572/

4.5

Answer 10

I came across this article published by the University of Maryland, it was titled "How Music Can Help You Study" written by Theresa Schempp. Schempp is a writer for the marketing program at the University of Maryland. She writes about how music has been used for centuries as something to benefit from. She says "The right choice of music, such as instrumental or ambient music, can help block out distractions, improve concentration, and maintain attention during study sessions." Basically music can help us tune out the distractions around us and really focus into or work. But it all depends on the genre that you listen to. There are so many different kinds of music out there and all have different benefits when listening. Ambient and instrumental music can provide a background noise and mood, without getting caught up into it. When we listen to music with lyrics with higher volumes, our attention gets caught up into the lyrics and emotions of a song. So yes music does help you study, just make sure to choose the right genre.

https://www.umgc.edu/blog/how-music-can-help-you-study