The medical applications of binaural beats

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

When two pure tones are presented separately but simultaneously to each ear a strange perceptual phenomenon occurs. A single modulating tone is perceived whose amplitude is equal to the difference of those presented. This tone is called a binaural beat. Research has demonstrated that binaural beats have the capability to influence behaviors (Brady &Stevens, 2002; Lane et al., 1998; Padmandaban et al., 2005) and it is speculated that this is done by way of brainwave entrainment. That is, the belief that if binaural beats are set to entrain a frequency within the range of normal brainwaves, the brainwaves of the listener will change to match the frequency of the binaural beat. This thesis aims to research the influence of binaural beats on beta brainwave magnitudes and vigilance task performance. In this study, 19 San Jose State University (SJSU) undergraduate psychology students were sampled. A within-subject design was utilized such that all participants took part in two continuous performance tests (CPT) in which either the control (white noise) or experimental (binaural auditory beats set to entrain16Hz and 24Hz) treatment was present. Findings indicate that binaural auditory beats at these frequencies did not influence beta brainwave magnitudes or vigilance task performance. Moreover, these results suggest that the application of binaural beats on attentional processes may only be useful for individuals with impaired attention either from an external or internal source.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT4

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION6

Introduction6

Research Aims and Objectives7

Research question7

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW8

Recording Brain Activity and its Relationship to Behavior8

Binaural Auditory Beats and their Relationship to Behavior11

Past Research - Hypnosis and Anxiety13

Attention and Vigilance16

Binaural Beats and Vigilance18

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY22

Participants22

Materials22

Electroencephalograph (EEG) recordings23

Difficulty rating scale25

Design25

Procedure26

CHAPTER 4: RESULT AND DISCUSSION28

Beta Brainwave Magnitudes28

Beta brainwave magnitude - sensory motor cortex (CZ)29

Beta brainwave magnitude - temporal lobes (T3)32

Temporal lobes (T4)35

Temporal lobes (T5)37

Temporal lobes (T6)40

Beta brainwave magnitude - occipital lobes (O1)42

Perception of Difficulty45

Supplemental Analysis47

Discussion and Analysis48

Beta Brainwave Magnitudes48

Observable Behaviors50

Perception of Difficulty50

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION52

REFERENCES53

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Binaural beats are one area of psychological research that has been gaining popularity due to their alleged abilities to entrain brainwaves. However, research on this topic has often been uncontrolled and shown contradictory results. Le Scouarnec, Poirer, Owens, Gauthier, Taylor, and Foresman (2001) researched what anxiolytic effect binaural beats had on people with mild anxiety. Mildly anxious participants were identified with the use of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), a validated 40-item self-report measure (Grier, 2003, pp.349).

The design was a pre-and post-test study in which 15 participants listened to binaural beats set to entrain theta/delta brainwaves five times a week for one ...