Introduction
In present-day society, music plays an important role. People of both genders listen to music when they go to school or to work, do their chores, and relax (Palmiero, Nori, Rogolino, & D’Amico, 2016). Some people do their homework and involve in mental activities with some music on. There is no doubt that there is a certain connection between music and emotions (Michel-Ratliff & Ennis, 2016). In addition to several personal issues and attitudes to music, this art may have certain psychological, education, and scientific impacts. For example, music can be applied in the course of teaching various subjects in college and help students improve their results and achievements (Berk, 2008; Hogan & Huesman, 2008). Another peculiarity of music is discussed by Carr and Rickard (2016), who explain music as the possibility to evoke emotions and make people remember things better due to the possible effects on an emotion-enhanced memory. The effects of music on people vary considerably, and this project should help to understand the peculiar features of the connection between human memory and music.
Results of Previous Research
During the last century, many researchers and writers investigated the field of psychology to clarify how music can influence memory and facilitate or, at least, change human lives. Each investigation is a certain contribution to the chosen field. A variety of directions is impressive indeed. Berk (2008) explains how the integration of music may change learning processes. The author underlines the importance of teachers to be a part of a process because they should not only provide students with knowledge but also with music with the help of which new information can be memorized. Almost the same investigation was developed by Hogan and Huesman (2008), who showed how students could remember more vocabulary units from a list under the impact of music. Previous investigations conducted by Carr and Rickard (2016), Palmiero et al. (2016), and Michel-Ratliff and Ennis (2016) explore the impact of music on different psychological aspects, including emotions, feelings, and gender behaviors.
The goal of the Project
This paper aims at considering the possibility of music to improve human memory. Music might be useful in the course of study, and teachers should feel free to incorporate it into the classroom. Besides, students with music training may have a better memory to remember words and improve their behaviors. What is more, while listening to music which they like, people tend to remember more visual information (Berk, 2008). Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate how visual and listening activities may be connected. Apart from that, music is likely to evoke memories that are connected with this music. The project should be based on the idea that human emotions and feelings may be controlled with the help of music. Still, music should not interfere when it comes to finding the location. Taken into account the above-said, it is possible to set the main goal of the project that is the investigation of different psychological fields within the frames of which the idea that music improves college students’ memory can be proved.
The rationale for the Hypothesis
This paper has the purpose to investigate the connection that may exist between music and memory. Five articles that are devoted to the topic have been reviewed to understand what kind of work was done and what investigations may be developed in the future. To sum everything up and develop a hypothesis, it is necessary to point out, that music may have different impacts on people and their memory in particular. Further research will examine the ability of music to improve the memory of college students while studying regarding the results demonstrated by Berk (2008), Hogan and Huesman (2008), and Michel-Ratliff and Ennis (2016). The rationale for the hypothesis includes the explanation of the next activities and the explanation of each stage of the project. First, it is necessary to prove that all 40 participants may be randomly chosen. The participants will be in two groups: Group 1 will be given 20 words to memorize in 3 minutes with music (R&B) in the background, and Group 2 will be given 20 words to memorize in 3 minutes with no music in the background. Each experiment has to be properly described and analyzed. The reactions of students should be observed to use the results in the project and prove the chosen research hypothesis.
Hypothesis of Research
In this project, it is hypothesized that music improves memory in college students. The already offered literature and the results of the experiment can be used to prove or disprove the offered hypothesis and develop the recommendations that may be given to students, teachers, and other people, who may be involved in the chosen psychological field. At this moment, there is proof that music influences students’ memory in different ways. The future project will help to investigate the possible impacts of R&B music on students’ memory under certain conditions.
References
Berk, R. A. (2008). Music and music technology in college teaching: Classical to hip-hop across the curriculum. International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning, 4(1), 45-67.
Carr, S. M., & Rickard, N. S. (2016). The use of emotionally arousing music to enhance memory for subsequently presented images. Psychology of Music, 44(5), 1145-1157.
Hogan, D. E., & Huesman, T. (2008).Music training and semantic clustering in college students. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 169(4), 322-331.
Michel-Ratliff, E., & Ennis, M. (2016). This is your song: Using participants’ music selections to evoke nostalgia and autobiographical memories efficiently. Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain, 26(4), 379-384.
Palmiero, M., Nori, R., Rogolino, C., D’amico, S., & Piccardi, L. (2016). Sex differences in visuospatial and navigational working memory: The role of mood induced by background music. Experimental Brain Research, 234(8), 2381-2389.