Gianna Cassidy

The effect of background music and background noise on the task performance of introverts and extraverts

The study investigated the effects of music with high arousal potential and negative affect (HA), music with low arousal potential and positive affect (LA), and everyday noise, on the cognitive task performance of introverts and extraverts. Forty participants completed five cognitive tasks: immediate recall, free recall, numerical and delayed recall, and Stroop. Ten participants completed each of these tasks in one of four sound conditions: HA, LA, everyday noise and silence. Participants were also assessed for levels of introversion/ extroversion, and reported their music/noise and study preferences. Performance was lessened across all cognitive tasks in the presence of background sound (music or noise) compared to silence. HA and LA music produced differential distraction effects, with performance of all tasks being poorer in the presence of HA compared to LA and silence, in the presence of noise than silence across all tasks, and in the presence of noise than LA in three of the four tasks. Performance was moderated by internal arousal, with introverts performing better overall on each task except the Stroop, and appearing to be more detrimentally affected by the presence of HA music and noise.

The effects of music choice on task performance: A study of the impact of self-selected and experimenter-selected music on driving game performance and experience

Abstract Music listening in everyday life tends to accompany the completion of other everyday activities in a highly personalised manner. However, music and task performance studies have tended to be experimenter-centred and contextually isolated, largely independent of the listeners music practices and preference. The present study adopted a listener-centred approach to compare the effects of self-selected and experimenter-selected music (high and low arousal), on concurrent activity performance and experience. 125 participants completed three laps of a driving game in either (i) silence (ii) car sounds alone; car sounds with the addition of (iii) self-selected music, (iv) High-Arousal music or (v) Low-Arousal music. Three performance measures (accuracy-collisions, time-ms, and speed-mph) and 5 experience measures (distraction, liking, appropriateness, enjoyment, and tension-anxiety) were taken. Participants exposed to their self-selected music were most efficient, perceived lowest distraction, highest enjoyment, liking and appropriateness, and experienced a reduction in tension-anxiety. In contrast, performance and experience were poorest when exposed to High-Arousal experimenter-selected music. Participants were most inaccurate, perceived highest distraction, lowest liking, enjoyment and appropriateness, and experienced an increase in tension-anxiety. Collectively, the findings highlight the efficacy of self-selected music as a tool to optimise response in the everyday activity context for which it is selected. Accordingly, the results are discussed in relation to potential implications for the performance and experience of concurrent tasks such as video games. Additionally, the discussion highlights theories of attention-distraction, arousal and affect modification, and subjective experiences of music listening.

Making music after stroke: using musical activities to enhance arm function.

A common long‐term consequence of stroke is impaired arm function, which affects independence and quality of life in a considerable proportion of stroke survivors. There is a growing need for self‐management strategies that enable stroke survivors to continue their recovery after rehabilitation has ceased. Interventions with high‐intensity, repetitive task training and feedback are most likely to improve function. Achieving the required amount of self‐practice is challenging, however. Innovative approaches are required to translate therapies into rewarding activities that can be undertaken independently. This paper describes the key principles and development of a novel intervention that integrates individuals’ preferred music with game technology in upper limb rehabilitation. The “tap tempo” paradigm, which uses rhythmic auditory cueing, provides repetitive upper limb task training, which can be tailored to individual goals and progress (e.g., in terms of movement range and complexity), while providing sensitive quantitative feedback to promote skill acquisition and enhance self‐management.

Music-games: A case study of their impact

Music-games present a highly pervasive new platform to create, perform, appreciate and transmit music through peer and online communities (e.g., Peppler, Downton, Lindsay, & Hay, 2011). While learners are increasingly engaged with such digital music participation outside the classroom, evidence indicates learners are increasingly disengaged with formal music education (e.g., Abril & Gault, 2008; Dillon, 2003; Lamont & Maton, 2008). The challenge for music educators is to utilize digital music participation as a tool to create new opportunities to inspire and engage learners with music in formal and informal learning contexts (see Hargreaves, Marshall, & North, 2003). The music-game synergy presents a unique, yet relatively untapped, platform to investigate the processes and outcomes of both music and video game participation in a comprehensive context. On one hand, previous research highlights the power of music education to enrich intellectual, social and personal development (e.g., Hallam, 2010), while on the other a growing body of work highlights the educational potential of digital-games to scaffold and enrich learning (e.g., Wastiau, Kearney, & Van den Berghe, 2009). This warrants investigation of the potential of game-based technology to promote engagement with music, and the wider benefits of music-game participation in the lives of learners. In this light, we present a single exploratory case study of a learner’s encounter with Rock Band 3, addressing the learner’s attitudes toward music-games and the music-game experience. It is asserted that music-games are a valuable vehicle to connect formal and informal music participation in the 21st century, embodying fundamental musical concepts in gameplay and authenticating formal participation to the wider musical world of the learner.