Abstract
Research reveals background music played during learning can variously enhance or impair memory, although the conditions which determine its effect are not yet understood. Possible explanations for the differing effects of music on memory include characteristics of the music itself, such as tempo and lyrics, induced mood of the listener and personality differences. In this chapter, consideration of the type of music used to manipulate learning and memory will be reviewed, indicating that arousal may play an important moderating role, either as a means of reducing anxiety or increasing arousal to an optimum performance levels. As music is often reported to increase arousal via emotion induction or enjoyment, a well established theory of arousal-modulated memory will be argued to underly the facilitatory effects of music on memory. The methodology used within this research paradigm will be described, and adaptations will be proposed that make it amenable to investigating the effect of music induced arousal on memory. This approach provides a novel method for combining the knowledge gained from music and memory research with arousal and memory literature to further investigate the potential memory enhancing role of music.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Learning and Memory Developments and Intellectual Disabilities |
| Editors | Lucas C. Eklund, Aron S. Nyman |
| Place of Publication | New York NY USA |
| Publisher | Nova Science Publishers |
| Pages | 171-185 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781608763979 |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |