Wm Hypothesis

The aim of this experiment was to determine the effect of music and age on STM (WM). The results of the experiment were confirming the hypothesis to some extent. The hypothesis was that the older the subject conducting the experiment is, the higher the cognitive performance, which will result in a higher level in completing the task. Also the subjects will be distracted when the music is played. However, some of the results did not match the hypothesis; such as Group2 (Year 9 Newman) that completed the task and reached a higher level with the music rather without music. Also Group 3 (Year 11), the subjects in this group had different results as the ones expected. The expectation was that Group 3 will accomplish the highest levels of the game,
Firstly, The mental state affects the person’s ability to complete WM tasks, so when the person is stressed, the speed of his/her WM decreases, in other words the higher the level of the neurotransmitter cortisol in the brain, the slower the WM is. Moreover, Group 3 subjects are facing a hard stage of their lives, which is starting the last year of High School; Year 12, and this fact can be the reason behind the low WM performance. Secondly, sleep is also another factor that affected the results. Some of the subject had a 3-4 hours, or 5-6 hours of sleep a night, which will affect their brain’s performance, especially the prefrontal cortex. Sleep is the state of unconsciousness, in this state the brain is re-organising, re-viewing and sorting the different information learnt in that day. The recommended amount of sleep for teenagers is 9 hours. A lack of sleep impairs the WM, because the longer the person goes without sleep, the higher amount of the neurotransmitter adenosine is found in the brain, which its main role is to slow down the cellular