How Music Affects Learning in a 3D Gaming Environment

This study examined the effects of music, in a 3D gaming environment, on educational achievement as measured by a series of criterion-referenced tests (identification, terminology, and comprehension). A sample of 81 undergraduate students, from a medium-sized public institution in western Pennsylvania, were recruited to take part in the experiment and then randomly assigned to one of three groups that each played a short educational game module about the human heart. Each group played an identical module save for the fact that one contained no music, one module included music by Mozart, and another allowed participants to self-select the music they would like to receive. They then each took a series of identical tests to ascertain performance. Results are discussed herein.