"Surgeons may operate better with music", SF Examiner, 21 Sept 94, p. A-7

summary of newspaper article . . .


"Effects of music on cardiovascular reactivity among surgeons", K. Allen and
J. Blascovich, JAMA 21 Sept 94, v. 272, pp. 882-884.

Background:  Music is thought to be common during surgery.  Studies have
explored the effects of music on patients.

Objective:  What's the effect of music on surgeons?  Causal inference.

Kind of study:  experiment

Subjects:  50 male surgeons

Setting:  hospital lab

Treatments:  (1) no music (negative control), (2) Pachelbel's Canon
(positive control), (3) surgeon's choice of music

Treatment assignment:  Random assignment of the order of treatments.  All
3 treatments applied to each subject.

Outcome measurements:  For each treatment, subjects were assigned a
repetitive task.  The task was performed 2 times.  Outcomes:
physiological responses (skin conduction, pulse rate, diastolic blood
pressure, systolic blood pressure) and performance measures (speed and
accuracy).  Physiological responses were measured before and during each
treatment.

Blindness:  Subjects were not blind.  Measurements were blind.

Population:  Volunteers, 31 to 61 years.  Self-reported music enthusiasts
who regularly listened to music during surgery.

Statistical methods used:  For each outcome measurement:  ANOVA and comparison
of averages under each treatment.  6 bar graphs.

Stated conclusions:  For all of the outcomes under all conditions,
subjects were mellower and better performers (on average) under the
surgeon's music.  Pachelbel was second best, and no music was worst.
As expected, surgeons were mellower (on average) before treatments
than during treatments.

Nonresponse:  none

Confounding variables:  none (randomized experiment)

Difficulties of generalizing to the real world:  Surgeons who are
not music lovers.  Desired outcome--success in surgery--is different from
measured outcome--stress.

Other problems:  Design is not blind; subjects may have been motivated to
be calmer and perform better under their own choice of music.

How does this relate to the rest of the scientific literature:  . . .