The Importance Of The Mozart Effect

The Mozart Effect Hits a Bad Note

Name: Holly Hall

Student No.: 9174028

Subject: PYB100 Foundation Psychology

Unit Coordinator: Dr Mariann Martsin

Due Date: 28/04/2014

Word Count: 1416

Introduction

Thompson and Andrews (2000), from the sound listening and learning centre state that music is commonly used for emotional stimulation and healing. The Mozart Effect refers to improved mental development in result of listening to Mozart’s music. Commercially, the Mozart Effect is linked with the idea that Mozart’s music improves a persons IQ or makes babies smarter. The global market jumped on the new phenomenon and entrepreneurs, such as Don Campbell (1997), have produced products including CDs, videotapes and books aimed at families with infants and children.

Lack of evidence and unsupported links between Mozart and improved intelligence poses the question; does listening to Mozart really make babies smarter?

This critical literature review will comprehensively analyse the Mozart Effect and prove that the extreme lack of evidence and only momentary findings on the Mozart Effect makes it impractical to conclude that listening to Mozart has any ability to make babies smarter. The information examined will be current and relevant and sourced from scholarly or academic sources such as books, journal articles, reports and web resources. The short-term effects, insufficient methodologies and various other causes behind the Mozart Effect will be studied throughout the report to prove that listening to Mozart does not make babies smarter.

Short Term Effect

The short-term effects that have been found are so brief that any hope that babies will become smarter from listening to Mozart is misguided.

The Mozart eff...

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...t listening to Mozart has any ability to make babies smarter. If any improvement did occur in result of listening to Mozart, it was insignificant and only lasted for a small period of time. The outcomes of various conducted experiments throughout time have all resulted in different or no effects and lack of testing procedures and subject groups also could have distorted the results. The Mozart Effect has never been trialled on babies and therefore there is no proof to say that any improvements in intelligence will occur in young children. The Mozart Effect has only proven to enhance one form of intelligence for a short period of time. However, it’s very likely that this one improvement may just be due to arousal, mood and enjoyment. On the whole, there is little evidence and only momentary finding that support the notion the listening to Mozart makes babies smarter.