Discussion
The experiment conducted by Myriam V. Thoma disproved the hypothesis that listening to relaxing music prior to a stressful task would decrease overall stress response. The experiment showed that the highest values in cortisol were observed in the group that listened to music before the TSST while the lowest were in the group that listened to rippling water. Unexpectedly, it was found that cortisol levels in RM were not significantly lower than that of R. The results of this experiment seem to be contradictory to the results of most earlier studies. The results of Thoma’s experiment also contrasted with experiments in which music was played while a subject completed a stressful task (which subdued cortisol production to some extent) …show more content…
On the other hand, when specific genres of music were examined, mellow, relaxing types of music (classical, rock, and easy-listening music in this experiment) were found to have an enhancing effect upon a subject’s performance in school. The opposite was true with hip-hop/R&B and rap music listeners who exhibited lower overall performance in school. To conclude, while some music genres such as rap of hip-hop/R&B display negative impacts on school performance, smooth, relaxing music, such as classical, rock, or easy- listening music, help boost school performance. This finding supports the original hypothesis that smooth, soothing music can have an enriching impact on human life and decrease the human stress response in everyday life …show more content…
Differences in relaxation rate while listening to a favorite genre were expected. The results of this experiment contradict previous research that shows that the recovery rate changes with genre. Several factors, such as unreliable equipment, using a self-perceived exertion measurement, timing, experimenter error, and experimental conditions explain these erroneous findings. Some of the equipment may have produced errors in the readings. The participants rated their perceived exertion, but they may have lied to make themselves appear more physically healthy or to simplify their response. Also, seeing as each trial was immediately followed by another trial, subjects’ heart rates may not have fully reached baseline before the commencement of the next test. The experimenters may not have been able to maintain full concentration on the experiment throughout its course and possibly may have misrepresented the data. Another flaw in this experiment was its small sample size. The recruitment of more participants would have helped provide more accurate results
The experiment conducted by Myriam V. Thoma disproved the hypothesis that listening to relaxing music prior to a stressful task would decrease overall stress response. The experiment showed that the highest values in cortisol were observed in the group that listened to music before the TSST while the lowest were in the group that listened to rippling water. Unexpectedly, it was found that cortisol levels in RM were not significantly lower than that of R. The results of this experiment seem to be contradictory to the results of most earlier studies. The results of Thoma’s experiment also contrasted with experiments in which music was played while a subject completed a stressful task (which subdued cortisol production to some extent) …show more content…
On the other hand, when specific genres of music were examined, mellow, relaxing types of music (classical, rock, and easy-listening music in this experiment) were found to have an enhancing effect upon a subject’s performance in school. The opposite was true with hip-hop/R&B and rap music listeners who exhibited lower overall performance in school. To conclude, while some music genres such as rap of hip-hop/R&B display negative impacts on school performance, smooth, relaxing music, such as classical, rock, or easy- listening music, help boost school performance. This finding supports the original hypothesis that smooth, soothing music can have an enriching impact on human life and decrease the human stress response in everyday life …show more content…
Differences in relaxation rate while listening to a favorite genre were expected. The results of this experiment contradict previous research that shows that the recovery rate changes with genre. Several factors, such as unreliable equipment, using a self-perceived exertion measurement, timing, experimenter error, and experimental conditions explain these erroneous findings. Some of the equipment may have produced errors in the readings. The participants rated their perceived exertion, but they may have lied to make themselves appear more physically healthy or to simplify their response. Also, seeing as each trial was immediately followed by another trial, subjects’ heart rates may not have fully reached baseline before the commencement of the next test. The experimenters may not have been able to maintain full concentration on the experiment throughout its course and possibly may have misrepresented the data. Another flaw in this experiment was its small sample size. The recruitment of more participants would have helped provide more accurate results