Document Type

Research Paper

Date of Completion

Summer 8-5-2026

Department

​Behavioral Sciences

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Jim Miller

Abstract

This experimental study aims to explore the effects of background music on cognitive performance and attention using the Stroop task. The Stroop task was first introduced by psychologist John Ridley Stroop, demonstrating how automatic processes, like reading, can interfere with controlled tasks, such as naming ink colors. Participants were tasked with correctly associating ink colors and color words. These words would differentiate between incongruent, color words different from the ink color, and congruent, color words matching the ink color. Using PsyToolKit to administer the Stroop task and Google Forms for participant intake, participants (n = 36) listened to a vocal version or an instrumental version of  'Count on Me' by Bruno Mars, or a no-music control condition, while participants performed the Stroop task. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze differences in test scores across the three groups. The results did not reveal a statistically significant difference in response time among the three groups, F(2, 33)=2.82, p=.074, suggesting that music condition did not influence cognitive performance. However, further research with a larger sample size and different testing conditions is needed to discover other possible influences.

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