Music as a Mnemonic Device for Verbal Recall in Healthy Older Adults

of a thesis at the University of Miami. Thesis supervised by Professor Teresa Lesiuk. No. of pages in text. (134) The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of rhythm, melody, and harmony on verbal recall in typical older adults. This study also examined the relationships among participant demographic characteristics including age, cognitive functioning, and gender and the dependent variable of verbal recall. Current theory holds that music provides bottom-up (i.e., Gestalt perceptual structures) and top-down (i.e., schemata) cues that aid in remembering verbal information. Furthermore, previous studies suggest that music-based mnemonic devices are effective vehicles for verbal memory in older adults both with and without cognitive impairment. However, no research exists that delineates the roles of musical elements in recalling verbal information in this population. Ninety older adults without a formal diagnosis related to memory impairment heard an audio recording of a 16-item grocery list in one of four auditory conditions: 1) Rhythmic Speech, 2) Sung Melody Only, 3) Sung Melody with Harmonic Accompaniment, or 4) Regular Speech. Each participant heard their assigned recording a total of five times and recalled the list as accurately as possible after hearing the recording once, twice, five times, and following a 10-minute distraction task. The musical audio recordings (i.e., conditions 1, 2, and 3) were derived from an original song composed according to musical Gestalt structures and schemata intended to aid encoding and recall of the grocery list. Following the recall trials, participants also completed a narrative questionnaire regarding their perceptions and experiences of the audio recording. Results indicated that participants in the Rhythmic Speech condition had the highest mean recall scores during all recall trials, compared to the Melody Only, the Melody and Harmony, and the Regular Speech groups. The Rhythmic Speech group’s recall scores were significantly higher than the Melody Only and the Melody and Harmony group after hearing the recording once. However, both the Rhythmic Speech and the Melody and Harmony groups’ recall scores significantly decreased between the third and fourth recall trials. In contrast, the Melody Only and the Regular Speech groups maintained their recall scores between the third and fourth recall trials. These findings suggest that rhythm is an easily perceived pattern that can efficiently transfer verbal information into working memory for immediate recall. While melodic patterns may take more listenings to fully learn, this study’s results suggest that the melody was encoded at a deeper cognitive level and enabled more accurate recall following the 10-minute distraction task. Similarly, the Regular Speech group’s maintained recall scores following the distraction task clear comprehension of verbal stimuli is essential for efficient encoding and retrieval. Still, the Regular Speech group’s recall scores were lower than the other three auditory conditions for the second, third, and final recall trials. Thus, this study’s results advocate for the incorporation of both rhythmic and melodic structural patterns into mnemonic songs. However, the addition of harmonic accompaniment did not aid recall; this may reflect a dual-task cost in older adults when listening to music of higher aural complexity and recalling verbal information. Further analyses found a medium, positive correlation between participants’ cognitive functioning (as measured by scores on the St. Louis University Mental Status exam) and total recall scores. Also, participants who reported having musical training had significantly higher total recall scores than participants who had never received musical training. These results indicate that other variables that may impact older adults’ verbal learning beyond the musical mnemonic itself. First, older adults with impaired cognitive functioning may require non-musical elements beyond the musical mnemonic device to support their encoding and retrieval of verbal information. In addition, musical training may have benefits to memory that extend into older adulthood, regardless of whether or not an individual continues to practice music actively. This study’s findings may be useful in explaining the mechanisms at work in musical mnemonics that can be applied to older adults’ verbal learning. These results provide preliminary evidence for music therapy techniques utilizing music as a memory tool, such as Musical Mnemonics Training. Professionals, including music therapists, working with older adults to improve memory may compose original music featuring repetitive, distinct, and easily perceived musical patterns to aid encoding and retrieval of