Binaural Beats and Entrainment: a Study on the Effect of Beta Frequency Binaural Beats on Focus In the Classroom

Author(s)

Cameron Duncan

School Name

Chapin High School

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Psychology

Presentation Type

Non-Mentored

Abstract

Binaural beats are an auditory illusion perceived when two pure tone sine-waves of nearly identical frequency are presented to a listener dichotically (meaning one frequency in each ear) using some kind of stereo speaker or headphones. For example, if a person wearing headphones were to play a 440 hertz frequency and 448 hertz frequency at the same time they would hear an 8 hertz pulsing sound as a result of the clashing frequencies. While binaural beats can be unnerving and even headache-inducing on their own, many companies market music containing binaural beats, claiming it has a myriad of therapeutic properties. Much research has been done regarding the validity of these claims, but very little pertains to the potential application of binaural beats in a classroom setting where they could be used as a tool to promote a heightened sense of awareness. I hypothesize that exposure to music containing beta frequency binaural beats (14-30 hertz) in a classroom setting will lead to a heightened individual perception of focus and other positive effects due to a process called brainwave entrainment, in which one's brain waves gradually synchronize to an external pulse (such as binaural beats) over time, possibly influencing state of mind. I used a PANAS survey to measure student's perception of positive and negative effects of binaural beats on their performance on a timed writing assignment. A multiple linear regression analysis of the data demonstrated little evidence supporting a correlation between perception of binaural beats effect and grade on the assignment.

Location

Furman Hall 208

Start Date

3-28-2020 11:00 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 28th, 11:00 AM

Binaural Beats and Entrainment: a Study on the Effect of Beta Frequency Binaural Beats on Focus In the Classroom

Furman Hall 208

Binaural beats are an auditory illusion perceived when two pure tone sine-waves of nearly identical frequency are presented to a listener dichotically (meaning one frequency in each ear) using some kind of stereo speaker or headphones. For example, if a person wearing headphones were to play a 440 hertz frequency and 448 hertz frequency at the same time they would hear an 8 hertz pulsing sound as a result of the clashing frequencies. While binaural beats can be unnerving and even headache-inducing on their own, many companies market music containing binaural beats, claiming it has a myriad of therapeutic properties. Much research has been done regarding the validity of these claims, but very little pertains to the potential application of binaural beats in a classroom setting where they could be used as a tool to promote a heightened sense of awareness. I hypothesize that exposure to music containing beta frequency binaural beats (14-30 hertz) in a classroom setting will lead to a heightened individual perception of focus and other positive effects due to a process called brainwave entrainment, in which one's brain waves gradually synchronize to an external pulse (such as binaural beats) over time, possibly influencing state of mind. I used a PANAS survey to measure student's perception of positive and negative effects of binaural beats on their performance on a timed writing assignment. A multiple linear regression analysis of the data demonstrated little evidence supporting a correlation between perception of binaural beats effect and grade on the assignment.