Rebuttal Rewrite – littlecow24

Posted on November 17, 2021 by littlecow24

Music Multitasking

If you need silence when studying, head to a library or quiet space. Those who like to listen to music when studying, go wherever you can find. Music is something relaxing and even something that we can scream our lungs out to, and it’s not the most common tool used to help someone with studying or homework. Whether it is soft and classical, or hard rock, academic studies have shown that a high percentage of students believe that listening to their favorite music when studying is the most comfortable and helpful. Through the exploration of studies and the consensus of how music makes a person feel, listening to music when studying can have a very positive effect on an individual.

In “Silence is Golden: The Bad Effect of Music While Studying,” Saki Amano creates a survey that he provides to students asking them about their habits of listening to music when they study, with results clearly showing that most people like to listen to music, and out of those people almost 100 percent of them prefer music with lyrics. Saki makes a very bold claim saying that “The result implies that students listen to music not to concentrate but to make comfortable learning circumstance.” The students who took this survey answered truthfully to themselves, truly believing that listening to music helps them focus and study. Saki then states that “Studying with music leads multitasking, poor concentration on studying and poor ability to memorize information.” The results from the survey are in favor of a position approving individuals listening to music while studying, instead of a position disliking the idea of studying with music. None of the survey questions asked anything more specific than simple questions, the most lengthy asking if the student believes they concentrate more with or without music present. Making assumptions about the data and the subjects in our research will create false conclusions. The mixed tones of the authors’ claims display a deep amount of confusion.

Multitasking is a difficult pursuit but it is likely to be utilized by many students. Individuals who have a hard time concentrating on multiple tasks at once, let alone two, are smart enough to know themselves and their study habits. They are not going to listen to music when studying knowing that it is bad for them. Refined individuals who have been in school for years know their brain and what works best for them. When evaluating multitasking, Amano says that “One researcher found that the majority of students who engage in multitasking during the class get the lower GPA, and the risk that using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs is likely to be higher than students who do only one task at once.” The information presented has absolutely nothing to do with the argument at all. In the classroom, multitasking is not just listening to music, it also involves being on our phones, doodling, watching a movie or tv show. The same goes for multitasking while studying and doing homework, listening to music being one raindrop under a huge umbrella. The conclusion made in this scenario would not impact the sole effects of listening to music and studying. The statement also mentions the risk of alcohol and drug use as a result of multitasking. Not only was the umbrella of multitasking big enough, but alcohol and drug use is far from that umbrella. The farthest we could get from listening to music and studying is shown in that statement. Alcohol and drug use is an important topic, and is sure to catch the eye of anyone reading about music and studying when it is not expected. Taking their focus from the real argument, it throws them off track. This abuse is related to the multitasking umbrella and a few of its raindrops, not directly to music and studying. 

Listening to our preferred music is going to be done more than listening to music we don’t like. Many students prefer pop or rock music, both inhabiting lyrics. Amano claims “that music with lyrics causes the brain to focus all of its energy on blocking out the vocal stimuli from the song, preventing it from concentrating on the task.” Another form of multitasking, the lyrics taking an unconscious focus from the individual causing them to become less engaged with their task. In “Music and memory: Effects of listening to music while studying in college students,” a study was calculated showing results of reading an assigned text with classical music versus lyrical or pop music playing in the background and then answering comprehension questions.. In terms of mean scores, the pop music listeners scored 2 points higher than the classical music. This educated study was completed at a university, and has produced accurate results, showing that lyrical music does make a difference. As a final result from the study, Mensik and Dodge say that “studying for a test while listening to music may cause little to no detriment to comprehension.” 

The argument against listening to music while studying shows compelling but wavering perspectives. Studies have clearly shown that the effects of this very much depend on the individual person. The average student is more likely to do just fine when it comes to studying and having their favorite music playing in the background. It creates a safer environment for them to feel more relaxed. We are sure to find our own ways of studying effectively for our own benefit, and we can listen to whatever we desire. While there may be some disadvantages to it, we can go ahead and study while listening to that rap song or even Mozart if we’re feeling fancy! 

References

Amano, S. (2015). Silence is Golden: The Bad Effect of Music While Studying. Google Docs. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://docs.google.com/document/preview?hgd=1&id=1enacyMCl1cLTBiHJ86bL1_WWl9qyz_uwEJkJA1NOzTQ.  

Goltz, F., & Sadakata, M. (2021, September 20). Do you listen to music while studying? A  portrait of how people use music to optimize their cognitive performance. Acta Psychologica. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691821001670?via%3Dihub. 

Mensink, M. C., & Dodge, L. (2014, April 1). Music and memory: Effects of listening to music while studying in college students. MINDS@UW Home. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/77348. 

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5 Responses to Rebuttal Rewrite – littlecow24

  1. davidbdale says:
    November 28, 2021 at 12:46 pm

    Introductions are hard, LittleCow. We have to start somewhere, but writing textbooks have all declared that we’re not allowed to dive into our argument without some sort of a warmup.

    That’s nonsense, of course. The best introductions are written by writers who don’t waste time trying to come up with a HOOK to snag readers and pull them into the narrative. They realize their argument IS THE HOOK, and that, if it isn’t compelling enough to command reader interest, no amount of warmup will trick readers into reading beyond their clever introductions.

    Yours can’t quite find its way.

    Many people associate and think of music as something relaxing, or even something that you can scream your lungs out to. Music’s not the most common tool used to help someone with studying or homework. The possibilities of music types are endless as well as the ways that music can help you. Many factors contribute to the fact that listening to music when studying can be a very useful thing. Negative effects are present, like almost everything in the world, but the pros outweigh the cons in this situation. Through the exploration of studies and the consensus of how music makes a person feel, listening to music when studying can have a very positive effect on an individual.

    1. What “many people think” is irrelevant to the news you have to share.
    2. What you describe as what “people think” is completely contradictory anyway.
    3. You want to say that music is helpful for studying, but first you delay by saying it’s not everybody’s “go-to.”
    4. Then you burn a sentence saying music is various and has many uses.
    5. Then you qualify your claim even before you make it. “Factors” will have to contribute to its usefulness, meaning it isn’t always useful if the conditions aren’t favorable.
    6. Then you double down on the “negative effects” but admit music is harmful less than half the time. Not much of an endorsement.
    7. I think “through the exploration of studies” means “based on the research I read.”
    8. I think “the consensus of how music makes a person feel” means, well, I don’t really know.
    9. Then you offer your conclusion: music helps a person study.

    Suppose we try a different approach. Lead strong, qualify only if necessary.

    Those who need silence to study should head to the library. For the rest of us, our favorite music is the perfect study groove. Whether it’s soft and ambient, or head-banging loud, academic studies clearly show a large percentage of the studying public pay more attention and learn more content when our reading is accompanied by the music of our choosing.

    Did we miss anything?

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    • littlecow24 says:
      December 4, 2021 at 11:10 pm

      Thank you! I see a great difference in my own introduction and yours. I have always been taught to create a hook, but seeing this shows me that is definitely not needed! I can also see how some of my sentences are confusing and don’t support my argument, which I will start to work on!

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  2. davidbdale says:
    November 28, 2021 at 12:59 pm

    Your technique in the Saki paragraph will be very effective once you deploy it correctly, LC.

    First of all, you need to LET US KNOW IN ADVANCE that the study you’re citing here is one that contradicts YOUR OWN THESIS. We need that grounding to understand what to be on the lookout for in your presentation.

    In “Silence is Golden: The Bad Effect of Music While Studying,” Saki Amano creates a survey that they provide to students asking them about their habits of listening to music when they study. The results clearly show that most people like to listen to music, and out of those people almost 100 percent of them prefer music with lyrics. Saki makes a very bold claim saying that “about half of students who listen to music while studying are apt to think they cannot concentrate more on their studying than no music.”

    This is very confusing. The study is called “Bad Effect,” but you waste a sentence not telling us what it concludes. Then you delay for another sentence to tell us that it shows people like to study to music. When you get to the point, the quote seems very peculiar. Are you sure it’s accurate? “Half think they CANNOT CONCENTRATE MORE THAN NO MUSIC?” We were waiting for you to tell us the bad news. We don’t see it. We’re also waiting for you to indicate that you DISAGREE with the conclusions this study draws. But you don’t do it.

    Saki previously states that they believe students listen to music to concentrate better on studying, a completely different opinion than what the rest of the research they provide displays. The results from the survey are in favor of a position approving individuals listening to music while studying, instead of a position disliking the idea of studying with music. None of the survey questions asked anything more specific than simple questions, the most lengthy asking if the student believes they concentrate more with or without music present.

    We’re not going to be able to take your word for this, LC. We’ll need quotes from Saki to demonstrate the contradictory statements.

    How much good would it be to prove what you say you can? I don’t see anything in your analysis that declares there IS NO BENEFIT to studying with music. I also don’t see anything that declares there is A NEGATIVE EFFECT to listening to music. As far as I can tell, the survey just asked whether students LIKE listening to music; nothing to prove that it’s useful or not.

    Making assumptions about your data and the subjects in your research will create false conclusions. The mixed tones of the authors’ claims display a deep amount of confusion.

    I completely concur with this observation, but you’ll have to revise your claims to show that the author conveys confusion.

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  3. littlecow24 says:
    December 4, 2021 at 11:13 pm

    You make great points. I am going to have to change up my claims to show the usefulness of the article, I believe I used bad quotes to showcase what I could rebuttal. Thank you for the feedback, I absolutely agree with it, now looking back on what I wrote.

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