Cheah, Yi Ting
(2023)
The Affective and Cognitive Impacts of Music Listening on Prolonged Cognitive Work: Insights From Everyday Life Habits and Ego Depletion.
PhD thesis, University of Liverpool.
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Abstract
Listening to background music (BgM) while performing cognitive works (e.g., studying or working) is a prevalent habit among many, and its impact has gained at least a century of empirical interest. However, research in this area has been marked by inconsistent methods and inconclusive findings. For my doctoral research, I conducted a series of research studies to provide clarity to this area. My research commenced with a systematic review that synthesised results from 95 empirical articles on the impact of BgM on cognitive performance. Then, I conducted an online survey coupled with an experience sampling research study on university students’ real-life music listening habits while studying. Finally, based on the collective findings of these two research, I conducted an experiment that examined the cognitive as well as affective impacts of BgM. This included examining (on top of cognitive performance) mood states and level of ego depletion (mental fatigue) during a prolonged study session. Collectively, my results showed that despite the frequent empirical focus on BgM’s direct impact on cognitive performance, the findings derived from previous research may be less applicable to longer sessions of cognitive work, such as studying for long hours. Long-hour studying (or other types of cognitive works) can be a progressively exhaustive process, in which one’s motivation and capacity to maintain consistent focus and task engagement may ultimately determine their cognitive performance quality. In that interest, affect regulation, which includes maintaining a positive mood and mitigating ego depletion, potentially takes priority before good-quality cognitive performance is even possible. Indeed, results from my experiment showed that in a prolonged study session, those who studied without BgM demonstrated poorer cognitive performance as well as deteriorated mood and greater depletion at the end of the session; whilst those who studied with (instrumental) BgM demonstrated better cognitive performance and no changes to positive mood and ego depletion. The results confirmed that affect regulation affords an overall better task endurance during a prolonged session of cognitive engagement, and this, in turn, facilitates better cognitive performance. These results urged the reconceptualisation of empirical studies that were strongly focused on the cognitive impact of BgM listening by highlighting the critical influence of task duration, mood states and ego depletion on this behavioural equation. Ultimately, these findings will enable the devising of more effective music listening strategies that optimise performances in various contexts of prolonged cognitive work, ranging from studying and office work to long-distance driving and even prolonged high-level cognitive performance in surgical rooms.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of the Arts |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Sep 2024 08:25 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Sep 2024 08:25 |
| DOI: | 10.17638/03178838 |
| Supervisors: |
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| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3178838 |
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