1) The document outlines an experiment to test the effects of different genres of music (classic rock, country, classical) on the aggression levels of lions. 2) Lions will be captured from different regions of Africa and tested individually in an enclosure. Their aggression levels will be rated on a scale before and after exposure to one song from a randomly assigned music genre. 3) The results will be analyzed separately for male and female lions, with the goal of determining whether music reduces aggression and, if so, which genre is most effective. Blocking and blinding techniques will be used to control for bias.

1. Does Music Soothe
the Savage Beast?
A1 and Bork
(Brendan Wawrzyniak and Ryan Barrett)

2. But what exactly is a savage beast?
Lions
Both males and females

3. And What is Music?
1. Classic Rock
2. Country
3. Classical

4. Subjects
The lions are the subjects of the experiment.

5. Variables
The explanatory variable is music, a
qualitative variable. The response variable is
how tame a lion is, also a qualitative variable.

6. Treatment and levels
● The treatment is music
● The levels are no music (control), classical
music, country music, and classic rock
music.
● Each lion will first be evaluated without
music to find a baseline level of hostility,
then be measured again with music (or
none if in control group).

7. Population and Sampling
● Population- all of the wild lions in Africa
● Sampling- Research shows that lions are most commonly found in the center of Africa, just
below the Sahara Desert and above South Africa. To get a well-rounded representation of the
entire population, the continent will stratified into distinct regions, as shown in the
illustration above. Each region is 500 miles high, and extends to the borders of the continent.
Teams of captors will be placed every 100 miles along their respective regions, as displayed in
the picture above, and capture as many lions as they can in that area in one week. This
number will not exceed 20 lions. All of the lions in each separate region will then be blocked
by gender and assigned a number from 01 to the total number of lions captured in the
rectangular region. Using a random number generator, lions will be selected for the
experiment. Once two male and two female lions from each region are chosen, the chosen
lions will be transported to an enclosure in Africa to be used in the experiment. Ignore repeat
numbers. All lions not chosen will be released back to where they were taken.

8. Illustration
Capturing team
location
500 mile strata
The dark
orange
regions
represent
the parts of
Africa with
the greatest
lion density

9. Control (No
Music)
Experimental Design
Random
Assignment
Classic Rock Music
Country Music
Classical Music
Control (No
Music)
Classic Rock Music
Country Music
Classical Music
Lions
Male
Female
Compare lions’
hostility scores
Random
Assignment

10. Experimental Design (continued)
Control- 1st-5th
Classic Rock- 6th-10th
Country- 11th-15th
Classical- 16th-20th
● Random assignment: Each chosen lion (still separated by gender) will again be assigned a number
from 01 to 20. Random numbers from 01-20 will be generated with a calculator.The first 5 numbers
generated go to the control; 6th to 10th go to Classic Rock; 11th-15th go to country; 16th to 20th go
to Classical. Ignore repeats. Stop when all lions have been put into a group. The group numbers
correspond with a specific genre of music. Each lion will only be exposed to one song total, because
it may become more aggressive or docile over time if held for an extended period of time in
captivity; a tamed lion is no longer considered a “savage beast.”
● Procedure: One at a time, lions will be randomly taken from soundproof cages and placed in a large
fenced enclosure resembling their previous habitat. A lion specialist in full protective gear will enter
the area and attempt to interact with the lion. After spending 5 minutes with the lion without music
on, the specified genre of music will begin playing. An independent evaluator will sit behind the
fence enclosure and watch for signs of hostility (before and after music). He will write down his
observations and use them to judge the lion on a scale from 1-5; 1 means the most docile, while 5
means the most aggressive. Once the song ends, the lion will be escorted back to its cage and the
specialist will test the next lion. Once all 40 lions have been tested, they will be released back to
where they were captured. The score with the music will be subtracted from the score without the
music. Results will be collected and averaged for both males and females, separated by genre still. If
the final score is positive, then the original question will be confirmed. If not, it will be considered
false. Each genre and gender will have its own set of scores.

11. Rating Scale
1- Lion makes no forward move at the trainer or shows little to no
acknowledgment of him. Shows affection or disinterest
2- Lion maintains consistent eye contact with trainer and does not back down
at all. Shows some discontent with trainer’s presence
3- Lion advances towards trainer upon entrance. Does not lunge or attack,
only acts menacingly
4- Lion lunges or dashes towards trainer but does not attack.
5- Lion attacks trainer in an attempt to kill.

12. Blocking: Yes or No
Blocking is used -- there is one experiment
performed on male lions and one experiment
performed on female lions. It was used
because male and female lions may react
differently to different treatments.
Additionally, male lions tend to be more
aggressive than females, and thus will likely
display results different than them.

13. Blinding: Yes or No
Blinding of the evaluators will be used- The
evaluators will wear sound-blocking headgear
that disables them from hearing the music. This
is because they could expect one genre to
appeal more to animals and thus rate them
more subjectively and create bias. The lions do
not know the genres of music they will be
listening to, so they do not need to be blinded.

14. Concerns About Experiment
I have concerns about the people that go into
the enclosures with the lions. Also, since the
response variable is qualitative, it would be
difficult to measure and compare results. All
personnel that participate in the experiment
will wear bite-proof protective gear and will
undergo training to insure that they are well
prepared for the trial.

15. Conclusions
From this experiment, we can conclude
whether music makes animals less aggressive,
and if so, which genre of music is the most
effective at calming down a savage animal.