The Role of Music in Memory

The role of music in memory
At first sight, it may be hard to see how a pop group that ceased to exist in 1970 could
be the central part of a scientific experiment today, but the Beatles were not simply a
famous pop group. They were a worldwide phenomenon that transcended the narrow
confines of pop music in their heyday, and they have continued to exercise a fascination
for succeeding generations of people ever since. Their music continues to be bought and
played in vast quantities, and just about anybody of any age would be able to identify a
song as being by the Beatles the moment they heard it. So it makes sense that a study
of how the human memory works is centred on the music of the Beatles.
Scientists involved in research on memory refer to something they call ‘autobiographical

memory’, by which they mean memories that are key to an individual’s sense of self-
memories that you feel help to define you as a person. When such a memory comes
back to you, you are able to vividly recall many things associated with it-a place, an
experience, your feelings at the time, what you were like as a person then, even such
fine details as a smell. Research has shown that one of the most powerful triggers for
autobiographical memories is music. When people hear a piece of music that they
haven’t heard for many years, it can take them instantly back to the time when they
heard it, and reactivate all sorts of associations it has for them in their past.
Scientists in Britain are conducting a nationwide experiment to see just what memories
are brought back for people by hearing the Beatles’ music. People are invited to visit a
dedicated website and add their memories of the music and its personal associations
for them. The researchers believe that people will be leaving memories of events long
in the past that they may not have recalled at all since they happened, but which will be
prompted by listening to the music on the site. These memories may be closely related
to the group-for example seeing them in concert, or buying one of their records-or they
may be connected with events in people’s lives that are brought back by hearing the
music.
The scientists are acting on the theory that music is a key ingredient in autobiographical
memory because of its ‘emotional content’. According to their theories, we are most
likely to remember events and situations that triggered strong emotions for us when
they happened. Music itself triggers an emotional response in the listener who likes it,
and so the connection between music and memory is a logical one. Not everyone in this
area of science subscribes to this theory, however, and there are those who dispute that
music has any role to play in memory because it is simply a background entity in our
lives: something which we enjoy but which is otherwise irrelevant.
There is another issue raised when people start to have autobiographical memories.
Research has indicated that the earliest age for memories of any kind is three and a half,
but that in terms of how clear these memories are and how powerful and emotional
response they trigger, they are different from memories from later in life. This could
affect the results of the study. Another issue surrounds the connection between
memories and social skills-according to one theory, people with highly developed social
skills are much more likely to have stored autobiographical memories than people who
lack these skills. Yet another question on autobiographical memory concern language:
there is a belief that autobiographical memories are only stored in the mind by people
who have linguistic tools required to encode them. The researches carrying out the
Beatles project are hoping that the data they collect will provide at least some of the
answers to these questions, and shed more light on the whole subject of
autobiographical memory. They particularly want to find out whether the music enables
people to recall people, places, and events they had otherwise forgotten all about and
therefore to test whether failure to recall events is a result of not storing those
memories, or not being able to retrieve memories that have in fact been stored. They
will also be looking at which memories that people put on the site themselves trigger
memories in other people.
Read the article about music and memory. Decide if statements 1-10 are true (T) or
false (F). Statement 0 is the example.
0. A great many people can be expected to identify a Beatles’ song instantly. T
1. Scientists disagree on what ‘autobiographical memory’ involves.
2. Music is thought to bring back memories more than almost anything else.
3. The researchers expect people to remember events for the first time.
4. The researchers want to receive memories involving the group more than other
memories.
5. It is surprising that music is considered to be closely connected with memory.
6. Some scientists think that there is no connection between memory and music.
7. It is thought that some people’s earliest memories are of things that didn’t really
happen.
8. It is thought that some people may not have any autobiographical memories.
9. It is thought possible that people have memories that are not aware of.
10. It is hoped that reading memories will prompt other people to remember things.
Answers:
1-F; 2-T; 3-T; 4-F; 5-F; 6-T; 7-F; 8-T; 9-T; 10-T

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The role of music in memory

Scientists involved in research on memory refer to something they call ‘autobiographical

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