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20 male and 20 female college students were given a detailed photograph as well as a 20-item questionnaire pertaining to the photograph. In quiet surroundings one group listened to a non-vocal recording while the other group listened to an identical recording with a vocal. The recording with both voice and instruments impaired the recall task significantly more than a recording solely of instruments.
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Belsham et al. (1977) studied this question.
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