Research regarding the effect of rhythm on cognition has shown that isochronous rhythms can enhance maintenance in working memory. However, it is important to consider that much contemporary music includes both isochronous and non-isochronous rhythms simultaneously. To determine the practical benefits of this finding, it is necessary to explore rhythms thatclosely simulate contemporary music. The present study investigated how the maintenance-boosting effect of isochronous rhythm is affected by the simultaneous presence of a non-isochronous rhythm. Participants were tasked with remembering sequences of six letters for serial recall. In the rhythm condition, a woodblock sound was presented six times at regular intervals and a kick drum sound was presented eight times at irregular intervals during the delay between encoding and recall. In the silent condition, no sound was presented. The simultaneous presence of regular and irregular rhythms led to decreased memory performance compared to silence, suggesting that listening to complex rhythmic music can cause cognitive overload and disrupt attentional refreshing. These findings are discussed in relation to relevant theoretical frameworks and the limitations of this study.

Gardening has been proven to have multiple health benefits, both mentally and physically. It is a common activity and it’s estimated that almost 78% of home-owners in the USA do it on a regular basis. Cities are growing and have created the challenge to make room for new green spaces to preserve the current biodiversity. This makes preserving or creating garden diversity more important than ever. This study investigates if a user interface could potentially impact and create incentive in gardening for users, with the help of personalized garden information. A prototype was developed and tested in collaboration with Husqvarna Group. The prototype was tested on 5 participants over a 10 day period combined with a qualitative interview to find out if it generated incentive for gardening. The study was done as a conceptual proof of concept and the results were evaluated using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The result implied that the conceptual solution would be perceived useful and accepted on the condition that it provides a personalized user experience. Future research is suggested to look into how to achieve a personalized user experience for user interfaces for gardening. / Trädgårdsarbete har visat sig ha flera hälsofördelar, både mentalt och fysiskt. Det är en vanligt förekommande aktivitet och det uppskattas att nästan 78% av att alla husägare i USA gör det regelbundet. Moderna städers tillväxt har resulterat i en utmaning att skapa nya grönområde för att bevara den nuvarande biologiska mångfalden. Den tillväxten gör det viktigare än någonsin att bevara eller skapa ny biologisk mångfald i trädgårdarna. Denna studie undersöker om mobila gränssnittet potentiellt kan påverka och skapa incitament i trädgårdsarbete för användare med hjälp av personlig information om trädgården. En prototyp utvecklades och testades i samarbete med Husqvarna Group. Prototypen testades på 5 deltagare under en 10-dagarsperiod i kombination med en kvalitativ intervju. Detta för att ta reda på om det genererade incitament för trädgårdsarbete. Studien gjordes som ett konceptet-test och resultaten utvärderades med efter: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Resultatet visade att den konceptuella lösningen skulle upplevas användbar och accepterad, under förutsättning att den ger en personlig användarupplevelse. Framtida forskning föreslås att undersöka hur man kan uppnå en personlig användarupplevelse med gränssnittet för trädgårdsarbete.