Abstract
The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of music on recall ability of words and
digits. A PowerPoint slideshow of sequences of words and digits was presented to a sample
of 84 DBS Undergraduate students. Participants were allocated to one of three conditions;
silent, vocal/pop or instrumental. In the two music conditions background music was played
for the duration of the experiment. Participants had to recall the presented stimuli onto a
recall sheet.
The findings suggest that music has a negative effect on the recall of words but it has no
significant effect on the recall of digits. The participants recalled digits better than words,
across all music conditions and there was no significant difference in gender recall ability. Author keywords: words, digits, music, recall
