Does Audibility Mediate The Effects Of Binaural Beats On Working Memory And Mental Workload?

Studies on the cognitive and psychological benefits of binaural beats (BB) often yield divergent or inconclusive results. While some studies suggest that BB are beneficial<br/>for e.g. relaxation, creativity and concentration, others fail to replicate these findings. Recent reviews on the subject reveal this may be explained by dissimilarities in<br/>methodologies and incomplete reporting thereof. Some important variables for binaural beat research are not always sufficiently reported, such as carrier frequencies, masking types, or stimulus levels. Information on the volume of the BB versus potential background audio is especially lacking in many instances. To create a better understanding of the possible benefits of listening to BB on cognitive functioning, we propose a study in which we assess different signal-to-noise ratios of BB in noise. Specifically, we aim to measure the effects of listening to 40 Hz BB in noise on working memory performance, operationalized through an N-back task. This way, we can assess to what extent BB need to be audible to reach potential beneficial psychological effects.