THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC ON MOOD STATE-DEPENDENT RECALL

This study investigated the effects of music, when used as a mood induction procedure or background stimulus, on the ability to recall previously encoded information. Fifty subjects participated in this study by undergoing one of the following five experimental conditions: the presence of music, either as a background stimulus during encoding or recall or both, no music during encoding or recall, or music used to induce mood prior to learning and recall. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference (p < .05) in recall performance between groups. Subjects who participated in the mood induction condition recalled significantly more information than did those in the no-music condition and the condition with background music present only during encoding. Such findings may encourage therapists to employ music systematically to elevate mood. The associative network theory and classical conditioning paradigms would provide conceptual models for the use of music to access desired positive cognitive networks.