The effect of rock music as a source of auditory distraction on the reading comprehension of undergraduate college students and the relationship between distractibility and achievement

The purposes of this experimental research study were to (a) examine the effect of rock music as a source of auditory distraction on the reading comprehension of sixteen undergraduate college students; and (b) assess the relationship between distractibility and achievement. Participants in the study were given two reading comprehension examinations in two conditions: music and silent control. Achievement was measured by self-report of grade point average. Statistical analysis of the main effect of rock music on reading comprehension, using a repeated measures t-test, found no significant effect. Additionally, no significant correlation was found between distractibility and achievement. Problems with the difficulty level of the reading comprehension examinations as well as location of data collection are discussed