This review aims to address the debate as to whether or not playing classical music enhances the cognitive development of infants. This question is raised in response to the claim made by music educator Don Campbell (1997), who states that ‘playing Mozart to babies makes them smarter’, by aiding their intellectual and creative development. It is important to determine if there is sufficient evidence behind this statement as people are paying money for their children to experience the claimed effects. This review will draw upon, analyse and interpret a range of empirical research studies involving school-aged children to adults exposed to different forms of music (including Mozart) to measure the effects. Campbell’s claim will be critically evaluated and proved otherwise that playing Mozart to babies does not improve overall intelligence. It will be argued that the empirical studies are based on children and young adults not infants, that the effects were found to be temporary and relative to specific measure on intelligence, and that other forms of music can influence spatial reasoning.
The extent of empirical evidence available concerned with testing the Mozart effect fails to include babies as participants and is instead limited to testing children to adults. A study conducted by Jones and Estell (2007) attempted to test the neurological and arousal theories of the Mozart effect and fill the gaps of previous experiments that were typically conclusive of college-aged students. The study included 86 high school participants aged between 14 and 18 who were randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group were exposed to a 7.5-minute segment of Mozart’s sonata whilst sitting quietly in a classro...
... middle of paper ...
...). The Mozart effect. (pp.13 - 30). New York: Avon Books
Hui, K. (2006). Mozart effect in preschool children? Early Child Development and Care, 176, 411-419. doi: 10.1080/03004430500147540
Ivanov, K. V., & Geake, J. E. (2003). The Mozart effect and primary school children. Psychology of Music, 31, 405-412. DOI: 10.1177/03057356030314005
Jones, M. H., & Estell, D. B. (2007). Exploring the Mozart effect among high school students. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 1, 219-224. DOI: 10.1037/1931-3896.1.4.219.
Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L., & Ky, K. N (1993). Music and spatial task performance. Nature, 365, 611-611.doi: 10.1038/365611a0
Schellenberg, E. G., & Hallam, S. (2005). Music listening and cognitive ability in 10- and 11- year olds: The Blur effect. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1060, 202- 208. doi: 10.1196/annals.1360.013
In recent years, several studies have been conducted surrounding the concept of Mozart enhancing intelligence. Studies conducted regarding this phenomenon have dubbed it the ‘Mozart effect’. The theory has been popularized by the media, with businesses, leaping at the opportunity to sell intellect in the form of Mozart products. Consequently, the claim ‘listening to Mozart makes babies smarter’ became an adopted belief. Thorough research into the Mozart effect, lead to the hypothesis that there is inadequate evidence to support this claim. This literature review intends to support the hypothesis through critically analysing various articles and presenting arguments to disprove the claim. Literature founded achieves the hypothesis through expressing a lack of evidence focusing on an infant age group; as well as being inadequate in depicting Mozart’s ability to enhance intelligence through examining only spatial intelligence and the absence of evidence supporting long term intellectual developments. Throughout this review research, mostly in the form of studies is presented to successfully demonstrate these points and disprove the claim.
Linder, Todd. “The Effects of Music on People's Behavior”. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec 2013. .
Don Campbell (n.d.), from the Mozart Effect Resource Centre, claims that studies show that classical music has a strong effect on the intellectual development of children from the youngest of ages. Due to the inconsistency between the mixed reviews of research and Campbell’s claim, it is essential to look deeper into the research done on this topic to discover whether Campbell’s claim is accurate.
Lubetzky, R., Mimouni, F., Dollberg, S., Reifen, R., Ashbel, G., & Mandel, D. (2010). Effect of music
As Bob Marley once said, “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” Studies shown that classical music, specifically Mozart, help you engage in your studies better and as a result showed high test scores according to a test scientist at Stanford University held. Did you ever imagine how powerful a piece that was composed in the 1780’s could be?
Many people do not realize the positive effect that popular music has on children. At a young age one of the breakthroughs for children is music’s benefit for language development. According to the Children’s Music Workshop, the effect of music education on language development can be seen in the brain. Studies have indicated that musical training develops the left side of the brain known to be involved in processing language and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways. The relation between both music and language development can also have advantages children. Listening to music can also improve children test scores and IQ levels. Dr. Schellenberg found that a small increase in the IQs of six year olds who were given weekly vocal and piano lessons. This leads to the fact that music is very helpful when it comes to education. Professor Christopher Johnson revealed that students in elementary schools with better music education programs sc...
There have been many studies done to find how music influences a child’s development. The College Entrance Examination Board discovered that students who took music appreciation classes had higher verbal and math scores than those who did not take the classes. (Stephens 2003) The U.S. Department of Education found that in 25,000 secondary schools, students who were highly involved in the music program did much better in math than any other students. (Stephens 2003) These studies and more have found that involvement in music increases chi...
The correlation between music and individuals is a very heavily researched topic. This literature review will critically evaluate the claim made by Don Campbell (1997, p.24) that ‘playing Mozart makes babies smarter’. This review will look at the history of the Mozart effect and also look at a range of sources that support and also go against the claim that the Mozart effect makes babies smarter. These claims will be analysed through the three main measurements in relation the Mozart effect these are spatial reasoning, arousal and also mood.
Schlaug, Gottfried, Andrea Norton, Kate Overy, and Ellen Winner. Effects of Music Training on the Child’s Brain. The Musician's Brain. New York Academy Of Sciences, 2005. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. .
Fordahl, Matthew. “Mozart Won’t Help Smarts: Studies.” Entertainment, 26 Aug. 1999: Research Library, Lexis Nexis. Web. 15 March 2011.
Campbell, D. G. (1997). The Mozart effect: tapping the power of music to heal the body, strengthen the mind, and unlock the creative spirit. New York: Avon Books.
"The Mozart Effect." Index Page - PositiveHealth.com - United Kingdom. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. .
Keikha, Aleme, Hosein Jenabadi, and Habibullah Mirshekar. "The Effect's Of Music On Increasing Motor Skills And Auditory Memory In Mental Retarded Children Aged 15-10 With 65-75IQ (Case Study)." Modern Applied Science 6.4 (2012): 106-111.
Listening to music releases dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is known not only for improving mood but also increasing motivation and emotional stamina. But the benefits that come from listening to music affect more than just the way we feel. Studies have shown that when listening to the right style of music at the right decibel level, students have been able to concentrate better. For studying purposes, this mainly applies to classical music. Many school teachers and professors argue that music is simply distracting, or so stimulating that it inhibits a student’s ability to focus. However, when classical music has few words, or as is often found, few English words, the mind isn’t as easily distracted by the meaning or idea of the song. In fact, what is sometimes interpreted as chaotic in classical music can provide a high enough level of exertion for your brain to comprehend, that it stimulates high l...
Weinberger, Norman M. “Music and the Brain.” Scientific American Special Edition 16.3 (2006): 36-43. Health Source- Consumer Edition. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.