Effects of background music on musical task performance and subsequent music preference

The present study examined the effects of background music on performance of a musical task and on subsequent preference for that music. 60 music and 60 non-music majors heard background music in music-only or music-plus-task conditions, and a third group heard no music in a task-only condition. A preference test of four musical excerpts, including the background [corrected] music excerpt, was administered subsequently to all three groups of subjects. Although music majors scored higher than non-majors, background music did not differentially affect task scores. Music students exhibited a differential preference following both musical conditions, while non-music subjects demonstrated differential preference only following the music-only condition.