EEG Analysis of the Music Effect on Lecture Comprehension

Abstract

Human concentration depends on many volatile environmental factors and its quantification has been a recurrent research topic. One way to quantify concentration is to record and analyze electrical activity in the cerebral cortex. Music is one factor that significantly influences concentration, both positively and negatively, so we studied the influence of music on the electrical activity generated by the frontal lobe during lecture comprehension. Sixteen subjects were recruited to carry out a lecture with or without music. Frontal lobe electrical activity was recorded during the readings. After each reading, a brief test was applied to quantify the level of lecture comprehension. Subsequently, cortical electrical signals were processed in two frequency bands: alpha (8–13 Hz) and beta (13–30 Hz). Our results suggest that individuals tend to increase their level of lecture comprehension when listening to their favorite music, reflecting a higher level of attention and better focus during the reading decoding process.