Cognitive Task Performance in Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of technology-generated listening environments upon processing of cognitive information. The main question asked was: To what extent does background sound impact accuracy on a cognitive task? A total of 217 museum-goers (127 f, 90 m) completed a language categorization task in four different listening environments: rain sounds, fast music, calm music, and silence. Overall, task scores during the four listening conditions were similar, with male scores stronger than female in every condition. Significant differences were seen between children ages 7-12 and teenage and adult groups, and between young adults and adults over 60 years. Strong, but not significant, differences were noted between older teenagers (16 to 19 years) and the youngest adults (20 to 30 years). In addition, strong correlations were seen between the four sound conditions and personal media usage, as well as between sound conditions and years of musical training. Findings support the duplex-mechanism theory (Hughes, Vachon, & Jones, 2007), and suggest that the ability to screen out irrelevant sounds may be more controllable through greater top-down task engagement.