Serial recall is short-term (or long-term) memory recall that requires the reproduction of an exact sequence. For example, learning and remembering the sequences 1, 2 and 3 or a, b and c uses serial recall. A 1989 study by Pierre Salame and Alan Baddeley, published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, found that instrumental music makes it more difficult to remember visually given sequences (e.g., to use serial recall). The study found that vocal music was more disruptive than instrumental music for short-term memory.
Linda Pring and Jane Walker published a study in Current Psychology that built on Salame and Baddeley's study. They found that instrumental music that is associated with words impairs short-term memory even if the words are not present in the actual music. The conclusion of the study was that instrumental music can cause problems with short-term memory and verbal tasks if the instrumental music also is associated with words.
A 1991 study by Tucker and Bushman published in Perceptual and Motor Skills found that rock and roll music worsened the performance of math and verbal tasks, although reading comprehension was not impacted. However, it should be noted that math skills do require some short-term memory and sequencing, and that digits have verbal associations. Thus, it may have been the verbal component of the rock and roll music that worsened the math skills. Furthermore, Sarah Roy of Missouri Western State University pointed out that previous research on the topic of instrumental music and short-term memory has not explored the concept that some genres of music actually may provide an environment that aids in memory recall. Roy did concede that any stimulating music, regardless of its genre, may be distracting.
Many researchers, such as Rauscher, have supported the idea of the "Mozart effect," in which instrumental music enhances the performances of tasks (particularly tasks related to spatial reasoning). An explanation for this "effect" is that the change in mood that occurs when listening to instrumental music by Mozart results in better brain function, including memory recall. This means that any music that is pleasurable, not just instrumental music, could have a positive impact on the performance of tasks and memory. More research is needed in order to prove how memory is affected by instrumental music, as study results are conflicting and there is not a firm consensus among professionals about how memory and music interact.