Detailed Research Proposal
TITLE: The role of background music on sustained attention and attention span among
Undergraduate Medical students of West Bengal.
INTRODUCTION:
It is pervasive in human culture and across many societies that music has the ability to
enhance emotions, mood, and behavior. People listen to music for many reasons; listening to
music is intertwined with our arousal levels, energy state and mental health all of which
corroborate to attention levels and cognitive performance in humans. According to the survey
from Grand Canyon University’s partner, Grand Canyon Education (GCE) a significant
percentage of students in the United Stated, around 41.8%, prefer listening to music while
studying. A UK study found that among 18- to 29 year olds preferred listening to background
music during cognitive activities (tasks requiring high cognitive load) such as studying and
writing up to 71% of the time. [1] Thus, it is not uncommon among college students to put on
some music in the background while working on computers, studying, and performing other
cognitive activities.
Sustained attention (vigilance) is the ability to maintain attention to a specific stimulus over
an extended period [2]. Performance on a variety of everyday tasks requires sustained
attention. Cognitive failures are linked to mind wandering, negative mood and decreased
arousal which is associated with decreased levels of happiness and productivity, and music
specifically has been found to improve performance when played simultaneously in contrast
to executing the task in silence. Therefore, it can be predicted that background music
listening shifts the balance of mind-wandering and task-focus states via its effect on mood
and arousal. [3]
The effect of music has frequently been observed on attention, a key cognitive ability to
allocate processing resources to specific sensory information [4]. The definition of
background music can be stated as: music of any kind that is played while some other activity
is going on, so that people do not actively listen to it. Background music, more commonly
known as “piped in” music is widely used as an accompanying stimulus in many
environments, including restaurants, shops, and hospitals or even at work since research
suggests music may improve mental health and physical capabilities. [5]
Music consists of structural features such as rhythm, melody, timber, tempo, and bass, which
significantly influence the implicit and explicit memory [6]. Evidence shows that the tempo
and loudness are important for the experienced intensity of the music and music with a slow
steady rhythm may provide stress reduction by altering inherent body rhythms, such as heart
rate, breathing rhythms [6]. In researches the association that music temporarily enhances
cognitive performance is the so-called ‘Mozart Effect’. Music can increase worker activation,
which leads to increased performance. However, this relationship is not linear, and it has
been found to be moderated not only by other variables but also to depend on the task. [7]
In recent researches the laboratory -study by [Kiss and Linnell] showed that preferred
background music indeed increased attention states and did so by decreasing the internal state
of mind- wandering whilst not affecting the orientation of external-distraction. The work of
Chamorro-Premuzic and Furnham defines three different uses of music in everyday life. The
second use is cognitive/rational use, which is the extent to which people listen to music for
intellectual purposes and enjoy the more technical aspects. [6]
Additionally, some researchers have laid out that background music is more detrimental to
performance than white noise on a selective attention task. [8] The contradictory effects of
background music may be an outcome of diverse factors of which the parameters the
musicological ones include lyrics, tempo, tonality and some psychological factors (the liking
the listener has for the music) [3]. With this we can briefly summarise that exposure to music
can modulate attentional components, alertness and short-term memory [9]. However, this
could be a positive or negative effect. Therefore, the literature is still dubious about the
effects of background music and its effects on underlying brain mechanisms.
Hence, a better understanding of musical effects on attention would require more meticulous
evaluation of the affective state of music exposure.
Here, the aim of this research is to grasp a preliminary understanding of the influence of
background music in concentration levels and attention span played during or prior to a task
and evaluating its impact on listener’s performance. A qualitative comparison of effects of
different genres of preferred background music and without background music on sustained
attention is to be studied.
OBJECTIVES:
GENERAL: To study the role of background music on sustained attention.
SPECIFIC:
1. To analyse the socio-demographic profile of students and create a data pool (based on age,
study years) of undergraduate medical students in Jhargram.
2. To assess the variation in sustained attention levels on the same individual pre-analysis
(without exposing to music) and post analysis (with music).
3. To investigate whether the presence of background music has a positive, negative, or
neutral effect on students' attention span.
4. To observe the difference in sustained attention between habitual and non-habitual music
listeners.
METHODOLOGY AND MATERIALS:
TYPE OF STUDY: It an Experimental study.
STUDY DESIGN: It is an Interventional study to evaluate the role of music on a sustained
attention task and measure the attention span using standardized tools. The subjects who give
valid informed consent are to be selected consecutively till the sample size is completed.
Participants will be asked to listen to a copyright free, light soothing instrumental (without
lyrics) music through earphones, with the volume set in the range of 60-70 dB.
STUDY AREA: An air-conditioned room in the academic building of Jhargram Government
Medical College & Hospital to ensure a quiet and noise free environment with minimal
distractions.
STUDY POPULATION: The Phase I MBBS students enrolled in Jhargram Government
Medical College and Hospital.
SAMPLE SIZE: All 100 Phase I MBBS students enrolled in Jhargram Governement Medical
College and Hospital with simple random sampling.
SELECTION CRITERIA:
INCLUSION CRITERIA: Phase I MBBS students of Jhargram Medical College and
Hospital who are willing to give voluntary consent.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
1. Students having hearing impairment and mild deafness.
2. Students with epilepsy or any other severe psychiatric illness and a history of neurological
disorder.
DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE:
1. Voluntary candidates who provide informed consent will be selected for the study.
Students who regularly listen to background music while studying or performing a task will
be identified with the help of a Google form and grouped accordingly for further analysis.
2. A structured socio-demographic questionnaire will be used to collect demographic data
(age, biological sex).
3. Standardized test and scales will be used to assess vigilance in the same individuals with
and without background music on a span of 1-2 days, based on their availability. Initially,
participants will be asked to complete a task within a maximum time frame of 10 minutes
without any music, followed by a session after an interval where they perform the same task
while listening to a background music. Students who typically listen to music will be used to
draw a reference in attention span of habitual and non-habitual listeners.
The Test utilized in this study will be:
-Digital Vigilance Test, which is a standardized simple task designed to measure vigilance
during rapid visual tracking based on total time taken and total errors made within a
maximum time frame of 10 minutes. The DVT is used to measure an individual’s ability to
maintain focused attention and react quickly to specific stimuli over a stipulated period of
time.
INSTRUMENT USED:
1. Digital Vigilance Test to measure vigilance.
2. Questionnaire to gather a socio-demographic detail of the participants.
3. A Google form will be provided to segregate the students who listen to background music
while studying from those who don’t.
4. A stopwatch to measure the total time taken by a student to complete the task (one student
at a time).
QUALITY CONTROL:
Quality Control of this questionnaire-based study will be ensured by:
1. Thorough sensitization and training of the principal investigator by experts in this field.
2. Evaluation and Re-evaluation to ensure no erroneous results are recorded.
3. Monitoring of results obtained with follow-up supervisory meetings.
CONFIDENTIALITY:
All the data and result will be collected solely for research purposes. By no means will be the
identity of study participants disclosed anywhere.
PLAN OF ANALYSIS:
Data will be collected from the hard copy questionnaire responses and the data collected from
respondents will be systematically organized and entered in a statistical software such as
SPSS and also MS EXCEL, for analysis. Descriptive statistics, including mean, standard
deviation, frequencies, and percentages, will be employed to summarize demographic and
other baseline data. A within-subject design will be utilised, comparing pre analysis (without
music) and post analysis (with music) performance. The attention span differences with and
without background music will be conducted using Paired T-test for intra-group comparisons
and inter-group differences will be assessed by ANOVA. Throughout the process, data
security and participant privacy will be prioritized, adhering to strict ethical guidelines.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATION:
The study will adhere to ethical standards to ensure the rights and welfare of participants are
protected. Contact information, such as phone number or email, will be provided to address
any inquiries. Participants will be fully informed about the purpose and details of the study,
including the procedures involved. Participation will be entirely voluntary. The study will
commence after due clearance from the Scientific Research Committee (SRC) and The
Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC).
INTEREST OF CONFLICT: There is no such interest of conflict.
IMPLICATIONS:
This study provides valuable insights into how background music influences sustained
attention, with implications in education, workplace efficiency, and mental health. This study
also explores the issue of listening to music while working, considering its uses and
perceived effects, and provides a starting point for further investigation. If background music
enhances attention, it could be integrated into academic and professional settings to boost
productivity. Additionally, understanding music’s cognitive effects could contribute to
therapeutic interventions for attention-related disorders such as ADHD. Conversely, if it
disrupts recommendations can be made to optimize study and work environments.
REFERENCES:
[1] Greasley, A. E., and Lamont, A. (2011). Exploring engagement with music in everyday life using experience
sampling methodology. Music. Sci. 15, 45–71. doi: 10.1177/1029864910393417
[2] The Mental Status Examination In Nerology (Fourth Edition), Strub RL, Black FW4th ed.
Philadelphia (PA): F.A. Davis Company; 2000
[3] Kiss L, Linnell KJ. The role of mood and arousal in the effect of background music on
attentional state and performance during a sustained attention task. Psychol Music.2025;53(2):123-135.
[4] Fernandez NB, Trost WJ, Vuilleumier P. Brain networks mediating the influence of background music on
selection attention. J Neurosci. 2025;45(3):123-134.
[5] Shi Y-N, Huang R-H, Chiang H-S. Correlation between work concentration level and background music: A
pilot study. J Occup Health. 2025;67(4):350-357
[6] Sanseverino D, Caputo A, Cortese CG, Ghislieri C. “Don’t stop the music,” please: the relationship between
music use at work, satisfaction, and performance. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(2):1415.
doi:10.3390/ijerph20021415.
[7] Sun W, Chang E-C and Xu (2023) The effects of background music tempo on consumer
variety-seeking behavior: the mediating role of arousal. Front. Psychol. 14:1236006. Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.
2023.1236006
[8] Scarratt RJ, Heggli OA, Vuust P, Sadakata M. Music that is used while studying and music
that is used for sleep share similar musical features, genres and subgroups. Psychol Music. 2025;53(1):78-92
[9] Shih Y-N, Huang R-H, Chiang H-Y. Background music: Effects on attention performance.
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