Study conclusions should follow logically from the design and results of statistical tests. Often, conclusions extend beyond what was specifically studied or do not accurately reflect the results. For example, the researchers who conducted the music and learning study concluded that music enhances performance. A more accurate conclusion would have been that soothing instrumental music playing softly in the background enhances performance.

The first conclusion was too general as learning was no better when the song with lyrics was playing in the background than in the control condition. The study did not include music that might have been more distracting either because of its beat or how loudly it was playing. Thus, we do not know whether all instrumental music enhances performance or only the type of music used in this study.