A Sudy of he Effec of Music Disracion on Reading Efficiency Mack T. Henderson, Anne Crews, and Joan Barlow GnnneU College, Iowa Very ofen college sudens claim ha hey can sudy effecively wih he radio on, ha music does no "boher" hem This suggesed he following sudy which aemps o deermine wheher or no reading efficiency is influenced when music is used as disracion, and wheher here is any difference in he influence of popular and classical music upon reading efficiency. In a similar sudy aul Fendnck 1 found ha semiclassical music ended o reduce efficiency, bu since he did no equae his groups and because he used only one ype of disracion, i was decided o supplemen his resuls hrough his experimen rocedure Fify freshman women helped us wih his experimen These women were divided ino hree equally mached groups on he basis of heir psychological examinaion scores (American Council on Educaion sychological Examinaion, 1942 ediion) and reading es scores (elson- Denny Reading Tes) obained in Sepember, 1943 The ACE means for he o Disracion,, and groups were 107.7 ± 22 6, 102.5 ± 30 3, 103 6 ± 23.8 The means for he secion of he reading es were 43.1 ± 16 1, 42.6 ± 16.7, 43.8 ± 13 5, and for he secion of he reading es 45.3 ± 11 5, 47.3 ± 11.7, 48.0 ± 13 9. The differences in hese means were found o be saisically insignifican as measured by Fisher. Firs of all, he subjecs filled ou a quesionnaire which was consruced primarily for he purpose of deermining wheher or no he subjecs were accusomed o sudying wih he radio on; wheher or no hey hough ha he radio reduced heir sudy efficiency; he amoun of sudying done wih he radio on; and he ype of program hey usually lisened o when sudying The elson-denny Reading Tes was used in his sudy o measure he reading efficiency of he hree groups This es was chosen for four reasons: (1) i has wo forms which made possible he use of one form as 1 Fendnck,. The influence of music disracion upon reading efficiency. / educ Res., 1937, 31, 264-271. 313
314 Mack T. Henderson, Anne Crews, and Joan Barlow a pre-es and he oher as a final es, (2) Form A had been given o he freshmen when hey enered college, Sepember, 1943, making pre-es scores immediaely available; (3) he es has wo secions, a secion and a comprehension secion, making i possible o deermine he influence of disracion upon hese subdivisions as well as upon he oal scores; (4) he es required only 30 minues o complee, 10 minues for and 20 for comprehension Form B of he elson-denny Reading Tes was adminisered, as he final es, o a group of 14 freshman women wih popular music as disracion and o a group of 17 wih classical music as disracion, while a hird group of 19, a conrol group, ook he reading examinaion wihou any disracion Hereafer, hese groups will be referred o as,, and o Disracion groups and classical music were he wo ypes of music chosen for his sudy, because he quesionnaire resuls showed ha hey were he wo ypes o which mos of he subjecs usually lisened Typical, familiar recordings of boh ypes of music were carefully seleced o be played during he ess The recordings used in his experimen are as follow s: Musical Recordings: music (order of presenaion): 1 Two O'clock Jump (Harry James); 2 Tha's Wha You Think (Krupa); 3 Sunday, Monday, or Always (Frank Sinara); 4 Mr. Five by Five (Harry James); 5 rince Charming (Harry James); 6. Tuxedo Juncion (Glenn Miller); 7 Idaho (Benny Goodman); 8 Crossown (Glenn Miller); and 9. Close o You (Frank Sinara), and music: Symphony m D Minor by Ce"sar Franck (hiladelphia Symphon}' Orchesra, Vicor Recording, 6726-6730) The condiions under which he ess were given were regulaed as carefully as possible The ess were adminisered on hree successive afernoons a hours when he greaes number of he subjecs would be free However, i was impossible o find imes when hey were all free; hence, he raher small number of subjecs During he es, he subjecs were asked o assume ha hey were in heir own rooms sudying wih he radio on The volume of he phonograph was predeermined by a group of judges, including sudens, and regulaed o approximaely he same loudness which he subjecs ordinarily mainained when sudying wih he radio as background. These judges, who were saioned a various places in he room in which he ess were o be given, agreed upon he loudness desired In order o assure some measure of similariy of volume, he posiion oi he volume conrol was noed and used hroughou he experimen. This mehod was resored o, because a physical device for deermining volume in decibels was no pracical, since he volume wihin each record varied noiceably.
Effec of Music Disracion on Reading Efficiency 315 The significance of he differences in he means was deermined by he Fisher es. Resuls In Table 1 are recorded he averages of he o Disracion,, and groups, he differences beween he averages of he pre-es scores and he final es scores of each group, and he significance of hese differences in averages I will be observed ha he only score influenced by he disracion more han could be accouned for by chance is he Table 1 elson-denny Averages and Scores re-tes Final Tes o Disracion 19 43 1 45 3 50 0 49 2 + 6.9 +3 9 1.260.923.20.35 17 42.6 47 3 48.4 46 1 +5.8-12.906 266.35 14 43.8 48 0 47.8 22.9 +4 0-25 1 605 6160 55 <.001 score of he group. This score was reduced 25.1 score poins, on he average, below he pre-es score. I is ineresing o noe ha he scores of all hree groups showed an increase even hough he increases are no saisically significan as measured by Fisher. In order o deermine wheher or no differences exis beween hose who are accusomed o sudying wih he radio and hose who are unaccusomed o sudying wih he radio, he daa of Tables 2 and 3 are presened These daa show ha, regardless of he sudens' sudy habis, he groups funcion alike. The scores of he group showed a significan decrease in he final es score wheher sudens were accusomed o sudying wih he radio or no; all oher es score changes were wihin he range expeced by chance. In rying o accoun for he lack of influence or disracion of classical music upon he es resuls and he lack of influence of popular music upon he scores, one can only sugges explanaions A reasonable explanaion for he lack of disracion of classical music is ha he rhyhms and melodies of classical music are usually more complex and less obvious
316 Mack T. Henderson, Anne Crews, and Joan Barlow Table 2 elson-denny Averages and Scores of Those Who Use he Radio When Sudying re-tes Final Tes o Disracion 14 42 3 44 1 49 8 48 9 +7 5 +4.8 1089 1.062.30.30 9 414 47.8 504 46 9 +9.0-9 1341.134.20.85 8 45 5 53.8 50.5 25.1 +5 0-28.6.670 5.485.50 <.OO1 Table 3 elson-denny Averages and Scores of Those Who Do o Use he Radio When Sudying re-tes Final Tes o Disracion 5 36.8 39 6 40.6 40.0 +3.8 + 4.531.042.60.95 8 43 3 46.8 46 1 45.3 +2.8-1.5.245.201.85 6 41.5 403 442 20 0 +2.7-19.7.244 3 849 <.001 han hose of popular music The simpler and obvious rhyhms and melodies of popular music are easily grasped by a group of subjecs and are herefore lisened o by he subjecs. aurally, while hey lisen o he music heir aenion is divered from he ask a hand music wih is suble rhyhms and hidden melodies is ap o be vague and is herefore no "lisened o " I becomes a background agains which he assigned ask is accomplished wihou inerference, and under hese condiions i does no diver he subjec's aenion from his work Jus wha a group of persons highly rained in he undersanding of classical music would do under he condiions of his experimen remains o be deermined.
Effec of Music Disracion on Reading Efficiency 317 A likely explanaion for he fac ha popular music influences he scores and no he scores seems o lie in he naure of he es maerials The maerials are meaningfully relaed and require susained effor on he par of he subjec In conras o his, he maerials are inermien and unrelaed. This suggess ha popular music inerfered wih he more complex of he wo es secions The suggesed explanaions migh be summarized by saying ha wheher or no music is a real disracion depends upon he complexiy of he music and upon he complexiy of he es maerials In his experimen, he subler music (classical) did no influence he es resuls, and he obvious music (popular) influenced only he secion of he es Conclusions 1. music disraced a group of subjecs significanly on he secion of he elson-denny Reading Tes music showed no evidence of disracion in eiher he or secions of he es, nor did he popular music show evidence of disracion upon 2. Sudens accusomed o sudying wih he radio were influenced as much or as lile as sudens unaccusomed o sudying wih he radio. 3. I is suggesed ha wheher or no music serves as a disracion depends upon he complexiy of he music and upon he complexiy of he es maerials Received June 2, 1944-