Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
349005 Computers & Education 2012 11 Pages PDF
Abstract

Game technology has been widely used for educational applications, however, despite the common use of background music in games, its effect on learning has been largely unexplored. This paper discusses how music played in the background of a computer-animated history lesson affected participants’ memory for facts. A virtual history lesson was presented to participants with different background stimuli (music or no-music) to test the effect of music on memory. To test the role of immersion on memory and its possible relationship to the music, two different display systems (3-monitor display system or immersive Reality Center) were used in the study. Overall, participants remembered a significantly higher number of facts using the 3-monitor display system, particularly if no background music was played in the second half of the history lesson. Conversely, for participants using the Reality Center, significantly higher recall of facts was found when participants listened to music in the second half of the history lesson. Cognitive load/overload and (un-)familiarity with the technology are offered as explanations.

► 3-monitor display system more beneficial for learning than highly immersive Reality Center ► Music in second half of VirSchool history lesson in Reality Center beneficial for learning ► No music in second half of VirSchool history lesson on 3 monitors beneficial for learning ► Differing results may be due to cognitive overload in Reality Center.

Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities Social Sciences Education
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