The influence of music tempo on mental load and hazard perception of novice drivers

Interactive effects of task load and music tempo on psychological, psychophysiological, and behavioural outcomes during simulated driving

“…Ostensibly, participants found that the high load, urban simulation was mentally more demanding and that this demand was not assuaged by the presence of slow-tempo music (see Figure 1). When we compare the present findings with those of Miao et al (2021), it is clear that there are some notable differences. Miao et al reported higher mental load with fast-tempo music using a hazard perception test but the present findings, using simulated driving, showed no differences between fast-and slow-tempo music conditions (see Table 2).…”

“…There is a conspicuous dearth of work that has examined the interaction of task load and music tempo in the ergonomics literature (see Brodsky 2015 for a review). Recently, Miao et al (2021) examined this interaction using a hazard perception test delivered via a PC. They administered one non-lyrical track in each of three experimental conditions (fast-tempo, medium-tempo, and slow-tempo music).…”

“…driving). Using a sample of novice drivers and a simulated hazard perception task, Miao et al (2021) found that the administration of fast-tempo music was associated with increased mental load and reduced hazard perception. If the music has exaggerated bass tones and/or aggressive lyrics, it can promote risky driving behaviours (e.g.…”

“…syncopation), excessive sound intensity (i.e. volume; € Unal et al 2013a), fast tempi (Miao et al 2021), and the presence of intelligible lyrics ( € Unal, Steg, and Epstude 2012). Tempo is a particularly salient feature of music given that, when > �120 bpm, this intrinsic quality can elevate activation levels, sharpen attentional focus, and even lead to faster driving speeds (Brodsky 2001;Karageorghis et al 2021b;Niu et al 2020).…”

Does music affect performance on a hazard perception test for cyclists?

“…complexity, duration), the music (e.g. tempo, volume, familiarity), and even individual characteristics of the driver (K€ ampfe et al 2011;Miao et al 2021;Pêcher, Lemercier, and Cellier 2009;Schellenberg and Weiss 2013;Trick, Brandigampola, and Enns 2012).…”