Hebrew University study: “Speech-matched” background music improved word recall more than silence
Cognitive musicology is a field of research that examines how music is processed in the brain and affects its function. Studies have found that listening to and playing music affects the neurochemical structure of the brain, creating more and more neural connections, and brain abilities such as memory, attention, and concentration.
Prof. Roni Yager-Granot, a cognitive musicology researcher from the Department of Musicology at the Hebrew University, says: “Like language, music is a complex stimulus that activates many brain regions and therefore ‘corresponds’ with brain research. It is a regulated and structured system, with laws, that allows the listener to predict what the next sounds will be. When we listen to music, we sense that the next sound will be, which also affects our behavioral responses – such as moving our heads, moving, dancing, getting excited and smiling. In terms of the brain infrastructure – there is extensive activity in areas responsible for auditory processing, movement and motor skills, attention, memory, decision-making, reward (a system that creates a feeling of pleasure in response to certain stimuli), and emotional processing. Therefore, it can be understood that music contributes to brain development because it requires precise auditory and motor processing, alongside the activation of attention and memory mechanisms. All of this is true – unless it is unpleasant (for example, it involves loud, harsh, and unexpected sounds).”
What's the question? Can music improve verbal memory?
The aim of the current study, which is being conducted in Prof. Yager-Granot's lab, with support from the Israel Science Foundation, and which was conducted as part of the doctoral thesis of the composer and musician Shlomi Frij and led by him, is to examine whether background music can improve verbal memory. "Today, music surrounds us at almost every given moment, and many people work and study (for example, do homework) with it playing in the background. We wanted to understand when music helps with learning and concentration and when it interferes, and what type of music is preferred for this purpose. Our assumption is that specific background music can help with remembering words," explains Prof. Yager-Granot.
So far, a pilot study has been conducted on two groups, each with 13 subjects (students). The lists of words read to the subjects (15 words in each list) were taken from a well-known neuropsychological test designed to diagnose attention and memory difficulties. The first group had the words read to the background of music that was specially composed for the study, in a simple and calm style and at a pace that corresponded with the reading and was adjusted to the pitch of the announcer's voice. The second group had the words read without music (quiet background).
During the learning phase, five consecutive readings were performed, and after each one, the subjects were asked to say all the words they managed to remember. After 20 minutes, they listened to music (without reading the words) or to silence, and were again asked to say the words they managed to remember. This was repeated for three rounds. The next day, a memory test was again conducted, similar to the one that took place after 20 minutes the previous day (i.e., one group of subjects was played music and the other was not, and everyone was asked to say the words they managed to remember).
Subjects in the music group retrieved more words than subjects in the silence group. The gap between the groups began during the learning phase and was maintained or increased later.
It was found that the subjects in the music group retrieved more words than the subjects in the silence group. The gap between the groups began during the learning phase and was maintained or increased later. In the silence group, there was a decline in performance after a period of time (20 minutes or the next day), as expected in memory experiments in which the subjects do not process the information in depth (for example, not linking it to prior knowledge). In contrast, in the music group, memory performance remained high. Shlomi Frij
What are the possible explanations for this? Prof. Yager-Granot says: “We created background music with a slow and steady rhythm that matches the rhythm and the adjustments (emphasis) of speech, reading words. It is known that this helps with word processing and memorization. From an evolutionary perspective, there is a close connection between speech, music, and poetry. In terms of memory, it is interesting to note that in ancient cultures, where people did not know how to read or write, they used poetry and vocal music to remember long texts that they wanted to preserve, such as prayers and epics. Second, background music is a type of rich context. When we are exposed to information, we remember not only it but also the background around it. This is episodic memory, in which the reconstruction of the context, for example the sounds in the background, helps in retrieving the information. Third, pleasant music contributes to pleasure, and the more we enjoy it, the better we remember it and the information that goes with it. Pleasure encourages the secretion of dopamine – the main neurotransmitter that activates the brain’s reward system, increasing the The feeling of satisfaction and motivation is very essential for episodic memory.”
The researchers plan to further examine the subjects' level of enjoyment of the music and test word recall even against the background of music that does not match speech.
Life itself:
Prof. Roni Yager-Granot, mother of two children (22, 25), lives in Modiin. She loves animals, nature and, of course, music (“For me, music is not only a blessed field of research but also a healer for the soul, joy and interest. My mother was a piano teacher and I played the guitar for many years”).
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