1- Do you like listening to music while studying ? 2- Do you prefer a special type of music ? 3- Do you think music can help you study better ? 4- Do you think music interrupts you ? according to Elizabeth Axford, an online instructor in the University of Phoenix College of Humanities and Sciences. “The jury is still out on a definitive answer,” she says. “Based on everything I’ve read, it really depends on the individual. Some students can study effectively with music playing, while others are distracted by any outside stimulus.” According to the New Jersey Institute of Technology, students who studied with music playing had lower average tests scores than those who didn’t. But the institute also found that the scores varied depending on whether the student routinely played music while studying and by the type of music played. Another, more conclusive, study by the University of Wales focused on that last detail: the effect of different types of music on a student’s concentration. Students were asked to recall a series of sounds presented in a specific order in different environments, including absolute quiet, with music they liked playing in the background and with music they didn’t like. Although the results showed no significant difference in the test scores of students who listened to music they liked and students who heard music they didn’t enjoy, those who studied in silence scored significantly higher than students in both other groups. But the study used only music with vocals for the comparison, something Axford says can make a difference. “Many of my students have told me that they listen to classical music while they study,” Axford says, pointing to the so-called Mozart Effect, a set of research results that asserts listening to classical music provides short-term enhancement of mental tasks — including memorization — known as “spatial-temporal reasoning.” A USA Today story last September reported that listening to music with lyrics is an especially bad idea when studying languages, because lyrics affect the same parts of the brain that comprehend language. “You think you’re focused on your Spanish lesson,” Axford says, “but your brain is also hearing — and is distracted by — the words to the song playing in the background.” Because study results and student preferences vary widely, Axford recommends that you take a “trial-and-error approach” to determine the best studying environment for you. “If you’re someone who excels at multitasking and does better with homework while there’s a music file playing,” she notes, “then by all means, continue. Otherwise, seek a quiet place with no distraction when you’re studying.” Source
Exactly..i was always playing music on the background while studying for exam or do normal reading..i will absorb all the information easily with music, and forgot easily if studying in sooooo quite environment.. Its a fact on me!!
I think vocal music is definitely bad for both comprehension & memorization process.. whereas,listening to classical music or trance, house...etc could help for the concentration, talking about my self, it makes my subconscious mind focusing with music in the background,so that there is no wandering thoughts & at this moment my mind is highly concentrated on the course I'm studyin' . It was difficult at first, but now I'm accustomed to it and it works great for me..
Instrumental music .. each exams period is related in my head to a special melody coming with a particular atmosphere .. it helps me get rid of the background chaos in my head .. and it gives me some energy, a kind of spirit so that I can keep studying for long hours
