Of all my academic experiences at Cedarville, nothing compares to leading a psychological research study.
Now, before you start picturing some ambitious undergraduate student who had always dreamed of becoming a researcher, let me stop you right there.
Truthfully, conducting research wasn’t exactly on my college bucket list, and it was more intimidating than anything.
However, what initially seemed like another academic responsibility quickly became one of the most challenging, rewarding, and memorable experiences of my college career.
How My Undergraduate Psychology Research Project Began
As I was scheduling classes for my next semester, I noticed I only needed two classes to add a research concentration to my psychology major, so I impulsively threw Experimental Design onto my schedule without looking at the course description.
The next semester rolled around, and I quickly learned that this class was for students to create, conduct, and present their own psychological research.
About a quarter into the semester, we were split into groups to brainstorm potential research topics.
Mollie and I paired up with Zoe and Alyssa, and after some deliberation, we landed on the topic of how different music genres affect cognitive performance. Just like that, we chose a topic that we would spend the next year studying. This one class period set the course for everything that followed.
Our first few meetings were spent getting to know each other, and before long, spending time with my research group became something I genuinely looked forward to each week.
Once the ice was broken and friendships developed, we got into the weeds of the project.
As this happened, I naturally stepped into the leadership role. I would plan the agenda for each meeting, delegate tasks for the group to do, and make the final decisions on design choices that the group disagreed over.
Does Music Genre Affect Cognitive Performance?
At the heart of our study was a question nearly every college student has an opinion on: Does the music you listen to actually affect your cognitive abilities?
It’s a common belief that slow instrumental music helps focus, while loud, lyric-heavy music wrecks it.
This assumption is called the “Mozart effect,” and countless college students tailor their music choices around it.
However, our research group had doubts, and research doesn’t seem to provide definitive answers, so we decided to test it ourselves.
The two questions we sought to answer were: (1) Does the genre of music impact cognitive performance? and (2) Do participants’ music preferences affect how that specific music genre impacts cognitive performance?
About 30 Cedarville students participated in our study, each completing four timed tests of 30 puzzle-style questions covering logic, math, and verbal reasoning. As they took each test, we played one of four different playlists designed by our research team: classical, folk, hip-hop/pop, or rock/heavy metal.
Everyone heard all four music genres in a random order, so each person’s scores were compared with themselves across genres.
We measured how many questions participants got right (accuracy) and how many they attempted (pace).
What Our Psychology Research Revealed About Music and Studying
We expected that the louder, more stimulating music would hinder performance and preferred music would help.
Neither happened.
Participants’ scores did shift from genre to genre, but the differences were small enough that they could easily be chance.
That doesn’t make the study any less valuable, and it actually led us to some interesting conclusions.
Past research suggests that individuals respond to music differently, so a genre that helps one person focus may distract another.
Additionally, although one’s preferred music genre may not directly improve abilities, it may make studying feel more productive without changing actual performance.
For students, the practical takeaway is that your favorite music might not be as distracting as you think; however, it is still important to find what works best for you.
Presenting Our Psychology Research at a Professional Conference in Chicago
Months after completing our experiment, our project took us somewhere I never anticipated: the Midwestern Psychological Association conference in Chicago.
Along with a group from Cedarville, our group traveled to present our study as a poster.
I had no idea what to expect. We were undergraduates standing next to researchers who do this for a living, and I figured we’d get a few polite nods.
Instead, our poster became one of the most popular in the room. People kept stopping to read it, and questions never let up.
My favorite moment was when a psychology professor stopped by our poster.
A few days earlier, her whole class had asked her what music they should study to, and she hadn’t had a good answer.
After hearing about our study, she was thrilled to have one to bring back to them.
The answer? Probably whatever you like.
How Undergraduate Research Shaped My Cedarville Experience
Standing at that poster, I realized how far this project had come from the day I flippantly added a class to my schedule.
Research was never part of my plan, but without it, I wouldn’t have grown so close to my research team, learned how to lead a group, or gotten better at working as part of one.
None of it would have happened without my teammates, Mollie, Alyssa, and Zoe, and our professor, Dr. Chao Liu, who guided us through every step.
The study itself found that music genre didn’t make much difference when studying.
What I took away was bigger than that.
This project turned out to be one of my favorite experiences of my entire time at Cedarville, and it started with an opportunity I never asked for.
And if there is anything I hope others would take away from my experience, it’s not to be afraid to pursue something outside your comfort zone.
You never know where God might take you.
Graduating Class: 2027
Hometown: Perrysburg, Ohio
Major: Psychology
Favorite Book of the Bible: James
Go-to Coffee Shop Drink: Iced vanilla latte
Favorite Vacation Spot: Anna Marie Island
Posted in: College Life, Education, Experience