When listening to rain sounds boosts arithmetic ability

PloS One
Alice M ProverbioGiorgia Ferrarini

Abstract

Studies in the literature have provided conflicting evidence about the effects of background noise or music on concurrent cognitive tasks. Some studies have shown a detrimental effect, while others have shown a beneficial effect of background auditory stimuli. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of agitating, happy or touching music, as opposed to environmental sounds or silence, on the ability of non-musician subjects to perform arithmetic operations. Fifty university students (25 women and 25 men, 25 introverts and 25 extroverts) volunteered for the study. The participants were administered 180 easy or difficult arithmetic operations (division, multiplication, subtraction and addition) while listening to heavy rain sounds, silence or classical music. Silence was detrimental when participants were faced with difficult arithmetic operations, as it was associated with significantly worse accuracy and slower RTs than music or rain sound conditions. This finding suggests that the benefit of background stimulation was not music-specific but possibly due to an enhanced cerebral alertness level induced by the auditory stimulation. Introverts were always faster than extroverts in solving mathematical problems, excep...Continue Reading

References

Jul 1, 1977·Psychophysiology·R M StelmackA Michaud
Mar 1, 1990·Journal of Personality·R M Stelmack
Dec 1, 1972·Perceptual and Motor Skills·R H Wolf, F F Weiner
Aug 1, 1973·British Journal of Psychology·D R DaviesV J Shackleton
Oct 14, 1993·Nature·F H RauscherK N Ky
Sep 7, 1999·Nature·C F Chabris
Jul 5, 2001·Psychological Science·W F ThompsonG Husain
Aug 21, 2002·Perceptual and Motor Skills·Makoto Iwanaga, Takako Ito
Oct 11, 2007·Journal of Health Services Research & Policy·Rebecca RandellCarl Thompson
Oct 17, 2009·PloS One·Valorie N SalimpoorRobert J Zatorre
Jul 10, 2010·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Jesper J AlvarssonMats E Nilsson
Oct 6, 2010·Behavioral and Brain Functions : BBF·Göran B W SöderlundEdmund J Sonuga-Barke
Jul 6, 2011·Physiology & Behavior·Liang ChengXiao-Mei Liao
Dec 20, 2011·Ergonomics·Marjolein D van der ZwaagKarel A Brookhuis
Jul 28, 2013·Biological Psychology·Sufen Chen, Elyse S Sussman
Aug 30, 2014·Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience·Adam Tierney, Nina Kraus
Oct 26, 2014·Psychological Science·Baptiste CheminSylvie Nozaradan
Nov 12, 2014·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Sylvie Nozaradan
Jun 4, 2015·Consciousness and Cognition·Walter VerrusioOriano Mecarelli
Mar 17, 2016·Behavioral and Brain Functions : BBF·Simon BaijotNicolas Deconinck
May 25, 2016·Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience·Lars RogenmoserLutz Jäncke
Jan 21, 2017·Research in Developmental Disabilities·Fabiana Silva Ribeiro, Flávia H Santos

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Feb 2, 2019·The European Journal of Neuroscience·Alice M Proverbio, Manuel Carminati

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

Eevoke
MP3Gain
Audacity
ASA System

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.