Northern Kentucky University
Music and Memory in Male College Students
Institution
Northern Kentucky University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
David Hogan
Abstract
Evidence indicates that female college students who completed at least six years of formal music training have better recall memory for verbal material than females with less training (Chan, Hoe, & Cheung, 1998). We tested males and found that the relation holds true for males, too. Specifically, male students with more than six years of music training recalled significantly more common words from a 16 item list than males with less music training. An unexpected finding in our study, however, was that females with and without extensive training did as well as males with extensive music training, which calls into question the reliability of Chan’s initial report. We also found that the number of different instruments the student musicians played completely mediated the link between years of music training and verbal recall.
Music and Memory in Male College Students
Evidence indicates that female college students who completed at least six years of formal music training have better recall memory for verbal material than females with less training (Chan, Hoe, & Cheung, 1998). We tested males and found that the relation holds true for males, too. Specifically, male students with more than six years of music training recalled significantly more common words from a 16 item list than males with less music training. An unexpected finding in our study, however, was that females with and without extensive training did as well as males with extensive music training, which calls into question the reliability of Chan’s initial report. We also found that the number of different instruments the student musicians played completely mediated the link between years of music training and verbal recall.