The Impact of Contrast Interval Length and Type on Information Retention: Are Silence and Music Equivalent?

ABSTRACT - Highlighting certain items of information in an auditory context by altering the background underlying this information (i.e., employing a contrast interval) has been demonstrated to enhance recall. This research pursues this issue further, and manipulates both the amount of information highlighted and the nature of highlighting in an experimental context. Results suggest that the optimal contrast interval is a maximum of three seconds long. Additionally, findings indicate that recall is superior in conditions where information is highlighted with silence relative to conditions where information is highlighted with music.



Citation:

Douglas Olsen (2001) ,"The Impact of Contrast Interval Length and Type on Information Retention: Are Silence and Music Equivalent?", in E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 5, eds. Andrea Groeppel-Klien and Frank-Rudolf Esch, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 210.

European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 5, 2001      Page 210

THE IMPACT OF CONTRAST INTERVAL LENGTH AND TYPE ON INFORMATION RETENTION: ARE SILENCE AND MUSIC EQUIVALENT?

Douglas Olsen, University of Alberta, Canada

ABSTRACT -

Highlighting certain items of information in an auditory context by altering the background underlying this information (i.e., employing a contrast interval) has been demonstrated to enhance recall. This research pursues this issue further, and manipulates both the amount of information highlighted and the nature of highlighting in an experimental context. Results suggest that the optimal contrast interval is a maximum of three seconds long. Additionally, findings indicate that recall is superior in conditions where information is highlighted with silence relative to conditions where information is highlighted with music.

----------------------------------------

Authors

Douglas Olsen, University of Alberta, Canada



Volume

E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 5 | 2001



Share Proceeding

Featured papers

See More

Featured

Enhancing the Effectiveness of Narratives Among Vaccine-Skeptical Parents

Sandra Praxmarer-Carus, Universität der Bundeswehr München
Stefan Wolkenstoerfer, Universität der Bundeswehr München

Read More

Featured

The Upside of Immorality: The Signal Value of Offensive Producer Behavior

Amit Bhattacharjee, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Jonathan Zev Berman, London Business School, UK
Gizem Yalcin, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Read More

Featured

Prices in Red: When a Red Price Becomes a Stop Sign

Hongjun Ye, Drexel University, USA
Siddharth Bhatt, Drexel University, USA
Rajneesh Suri, Drexel University, USA

Read More

Engage with Us

Becoming an Association for Consumer Research member is simple. Membership in ACR is relatively inexpensive, but brings significant benefits to its members.