The effect of background music on novel word encoding and retention: exploring the effect of familiarity and playing musical instruments

Abstract

This study examines the effects of instrumental and vocal background music on the immediate and delayed recall of unfamiliar words, while also considering the roles of musical familiarity and prior musical experience. Fifty-seven participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: silence, instrumental music, or vocal music. A significant effect of auditory condition was observed for immediate recall, with post hoc comparisons showing significantly higher performance in the silence condition than in the instrumental music condition. Although the vocal condition obtained a higher descriptive mean than the instrumental condition, the difference between the two music conditions was not statistically significant. No significant differences among conditions were found for delayed recall. In addition, neither familiarity with the musical stimuli nor prior musical experience was significantly associated with immediate or delayed recall performance. These findings emphasize the complex interplay between environmental auditory input and cognitive functioning, highlighting how peripheral stimuli may influence attentional resources and memory performance, while contributing to a better understanding of how contextual factors shape cognitive performance.