Author(s): Mason Huff, Alexis D. Whaley, Joshua Vernon, Alexis Downey, Bridger J. Hubble, Micah Yerman
Mentor(s): Lynn H. White, Britt L. Mace
Institution SUU
Sound waves produced by live sound are called analog. They are continuous and sinusoidal. The sound waves produced from analog recordings and played back on an analog device (e.g. vinyl record player, cassette tape player) are identical to the live sound waves they recorded. Most recorded sounds are “digital”. These sounds are initially recorded in analog format, but then they are converted into binary code. To be heard, a digital device player (e.g. smartphone, Bluetooth speaker) converts the binary code back to an analog signal. Importantly, these “digital” sound waves do not resemble the original analog sound they were created from. Instead, they are discrete and follow a square wave pattern. Worldwide, no one has compared the effect of live sound, recorded analog, and recorded digital sound on any dependent variable: in humans or any other animal. Our lab is the first. Previously, we showed that a song produced different patterns of EEG asymmetry, and affected skin conductance, heart rate, and heart rate variability depending on whether participants listened to the song on cassette tape (analog) or from an SD card (digital) player (manuscript in preparation). The present study extends this research by testing the effect of natural sound (the chirps of Zebra Finches) on EEG asymmetry, mood, aggression, and empathy under three conditions: live, recorded analog, and recorded digital. We used the PANAS to measure mood, and modified scales to measure state aggression and state empathy. Participants were connected to a 32-Channel EEG system. Then they rested quietly for five minutes. Next, while they completed the PANAS, a cart was wheeled in behind them and out of sight. The cart either contained a caged pair of live finches, a cassette tape player, or an SD card player. The sounds on the cassette and SD player were identical and comprised of a recording of the same two Finches. After listening to bird sounds for five minutes, EEG recording ended. However, the participant continued to hear the sound they were randomly assigned to as they completed the PANAS a second time, followed by the aggression and empathy scales. Data collection is ongoing. We predict that the digital recording will produce a pattern of EEG asymmetry different from the analog recording and live sound, which will not differ from each other. Relative to the two analog conditions, digital sound will depress mood, increase state aggression, and decrease state empathy.