Running head: MUSIC FOR THE MIND Music for the Mind: A study into musical preferences, personality traits and memory retention Rhiannon Rogers 17071491 Western Sydney University *Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Research at Western Sydney University. MUSIC FOR THE MIND 2 MUSIC FOR THE MIND Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter one: Introduction .......................................................................................................... 6 Chapter two: Memory .............................................................................................................. 11 Forms of Memory................................................................................................................. 12 Methods of Improving Memory ........................................................................................... 15 Rote Learning and Gist Reasoning ................................................................................... 16 Mnemonics ....................................................................................................................... 19 Relative usefulness of types of memorisation .................................................................. 20 Chapter three: Music ................................................................................................................ 22 Music x Memory .................................................................................................................. 22 Music & Autobiographical memory ................................................................................. 23 Music & Short-term memory ........................................................................................... 23 Music & Long-term memory ............................................................................................ 24 Memory for Music ............................................................................................................ 25 Music effects on Cognitive ability ....................................................................................... 26 Arousal theory .................................................................................................................. 26 Music & Emotion ............................................................................................................. 29 Musical preferences.............................................................................................................. 29 Chapter Four: Personality ........................................................................................................ 34 Personality & Memory ......................................................................................................... 36 Personality &Music .............................................................................................................. 39 Chapter Five: Rationale/ Key Aims ......................................................................................... 43 Rationale............................................................................................................................... 43 Aims ..................................................................................................................................... 44 Study One: Pilot study into Musical Preferences, Memory Retention and Personality traits. 46 Rationale............................................................................................................................... 46 Method: ................................................................................................................................ 47 Study Design: ................................................................................................................... 47 Participants ....................................................................................................................... 47 Measures and Materials: ................................................................................................... 47 Stimuli .............................................................................................................................. 49 Procedure: ......................................................................................................................... 49 Analysis: ........................................................................................................................... 52 Results: ................................................................................................................................. 53 3 MUSIC FOR THE MIND Hypothesis One: Music Vs Silence Memory Test Results ............................................... 53 Hypothesis two: Matching Music Preferences vs Mismatched preferences/Silence results .......................................................................................................................................... 54 Hypothesis three: Dominant Personality Traits x Expected Preferences x Short term memory test results ........................................................................................................... 55 Discussion: ........................................................................................................................... 57 Study Two: Study into Musical Preferences, Memory Retention and Personality traits......... 60 Hypothesis ........................................................................................................................ 62 Method: ................................................................................................................................ 63 Study Design: ................................................................................................................... 63 Participants: ...................................................................................................................... 63 Measures and Materials .................................................................................................... 63 Stimuli: ............................................................................................................................. 65 Procedure: ......................................................................................................................... 65 Analysis: ........................................................................................................................... 66 Results: ................................................................................................................................. 68 Hypothesis one: Music (Matched and Mismatched) Vs Silence x Memory test results .. 68 Hypothesis two: Matching Musical Preferences vs mismatched preferences/ Silence x Memory test results .......................................................................................................... 69 Hypothesis three: Aspects of the Big Five will demonstrate connections to genres ........ 70 Discussion:........................................................................................................................ 74 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 81 References ................................................................................................................................ 81 Appendix .................................................................................................................................. 90 4 MUSIC FOR THE MIND Abstract Previous research has demonstrated a link between musical preferences, memory and personality, but has yet to explore them in combination. This thesis reports on two experiments: a pilot study (N=42), which examined the initial premises put forward by the thesis, and a second study (N=100). Statistically insignificant trends were found in the pilot study. No significant results were found when musical preferences were compared to the previous literatures predictions, resulting in a follow up analysis. Previous findings in the literature between personality traits and musical preferences were not replicated. In Study 2, no significant results were found for the first two hypotheses. Multiple correlations were found between the facet levels of the Big Five Aspect Scale and the genres of the Short Test of Musical Preferences. Significant results were found in both studies that warrant further examination, with some future directions discussed in the conclusion of this thesis. 5 MUSIC FOR THE MIND Chapter one: Introduction Music is a universal phenomenon, transcending cultural and physical barriers with an ease that some researchers have found intriguing(Simmons-Stern, Budson, & Ally, 2010). Music Processing takes place in many parts of the brain, including the auditory cortex and the motor cortex with some overlap in the language centres such as Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas(Johnson et al., 2011). It has been shown to influence the cognitive, emotional, and physiological reactions of people(Proverbio et al., 2015; Samson, Dellacherie, & Platel, 2009; Verrusio et al., 2015; Yang & Li, 2013; Zantinge, van Rijn, Stockmann, & Swaab, 2017). But to describe it as such, theorists argue, is to ignore a vast aspect of music’s role in human society (Blum, 2013; P. N. Juslin, Barradas, & Eerola, 2015;