Study of cognitive flexibility at different stress levels with background music

The aim of this project is to study the effect of cognitive flexibility at different stress levels. Stroop color-word test is used to identify the cognitive performance at 3 different stress levels with/without the presence of background music. A pre-test PSS (Perceived Stress Scale) questionnaire is given to participants to categorize them into different stress groups. EEG signals were collected before and during the test and the absolute power of the beta brainwave activity was calculated. For the congruent test, the mean beta absolute power ratio is increased by 0.068 when compared to the baseline value. For the incongruent test, the mean beta absolute power ratio increased by 0.134 compared to the congruent test. For the congruent test with music, the mean beta absolute power ratio is increased by 0.261. For the incongruent test with music, there is a significant increase in time taken for higher stress group to complete the test. The higher the stress; the longer it takes to complete the incongruent test. This shows that music can cause distraction to the participants under higher stress conditions. The mean beta absolute power ratio is increased by 0.246 in this case.