Knowledge Bank

Previous research on the influence of music, working memory, and decision making has been somewhat contradictory, with results showing both a relationship and no relationship between these factors. This study sought to examine the influence of two specific elements of music, the lyrics and tempo, on concurrent decision making task performance. Participants were 142 undergraduate students (95 female, mean age 18.69) who were randomly assigned to one of eight working memory load conditions while concurrently completing decision making measures. The eight conditions included identical songs in a rock beat with and without lyrics, as well as the same in a mid-tempo beat. Additionally, a classical condition, a spoken word condition, a no music/silence condition, and a working memory task that was performed while also completing the decision making measures were included as manipulations. Results indicated, contrary to expectation, that those in the mid-tempo conditions made riskier decisions than those in the rock music conditions. In addition, those in the lyric conditions made more advantageous decisions than those in the instrumental conditions. Finally, those in the working memory condition made more advantageous decisions than those in all the music conditions combined. Implications for research involving working memory and decision making are discussed.