Binaural Beats on Attention

Binaural beats is a non-invasive and inexpensive nonpharmaceutical potential treatment for disorders of attention, among many others. Binaural beats are a phenomenon that occurs when two sounds with slightly different tones are played to each ear. The brain synthesizes these varied amplitudes into one cohesive sound that oscillates back and forth. There has been some recent research into the effectiveness of binaural beats in improving areas like sleep, meditation, memory, and attention.
The Brainwave Entrainment Hypothesis suggests that after being exposed to a specific frequency of sound, the brain will adjust and mirror that activity on a similar frequency (Ingendoh, 2023.) A 22 study meta-analysis adds “to the growing evidence that binaural-beat exposure is an effective way to affect cognition”¦ without prior training” (Garcia-Argibay, 2019.) However, more work can be done as “there is a lack of studies examining the effects of binaural beats on autonomic activity in relation to cognition” (Chee, 2024.)

Hello, my name is Alisha Hiskey. I am pleased to share my presentation on binaural beats. Binaural beats are a phenomenon that occurs when two sounds with slightly different tones are played to each ear. The brain synthesizes these varied amplitudes into one cohesive sound that oscillates back and forth. There has been some recent research into the effectiveness of binaural beats in improving areas like sleep, meditation, memory, and attention. This project works to investigate the surrounding effects of various binaural beats recordings on attention. The Brainwave Entrainment Hypothesis suggests that after being exposed to a specific frequency of sound, the brain will adjust and mirror that activity on a similar frequency (Ingendoh, 2023.) A 22 study meta-analysis adds “to the growing evidence that binaural-beat exposure is an effective way to affect cognition over and above reducing anxiety levels and the perception of pain without prior training” (Garcia-Argibay, 2019.) However, more work can be done as “there is a lack of studies examining the effects of binaural beats on autonomic activity in relation to cognition” (Chee, 2024.) In response to this call to action, a task called a temporal bisection has been created that evaluates aspects of attention such as reaction time, precision, and response bias. Three groups are going to be divided and either a binaural beats frequency or pink noise (control) are played for the participant 10 minutes before and during then the task. During one cycle, the task requires the participant to respond “short or long” to a stimulus shown 300-900ms. Each frequency that is played can be conducive to various brain states like one of sustained attention and cognitive power when entrained in the beta or gamma range. The shifting from high energy/anxious states into more relaxed and focused ones could help people with ADHD, ADD and other related attention deficit disorders. After this experiment, there can be added information on the effectiveness of binaural beats in the world of music therapy and beyond. I would like to thank OSCAR and the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program for their support and funding. I would also like to thank Dr. Karen Lee and Dr. Martin Wiener for their guidance during this project. Thank you for your time!