Classical Music The Mozart Effect Essay - 1402 Words

The Mozart effect is a phenomena whereby listening to ten minutes of Mozart’s music, a person’s spatial IQ is boosted by 8-9 points (on the Stanford-Binet IQ Scale), in comparison to listening to ten minutes of a relaxation tape or silence (Rauscher, Shaw and Ky, 1993). This literature review critically assesses the key works and concepts concerning the Mozart effect, specifically its methodologies, its limits, and finally, alternative theories. While some academics argue that ‘listening to Mozart makes babies smarter’ is a valid claim (___,__;____,__), others denounce it (___,__;___,__). While the Mozart effect does show temporarily increased spatial IQ, it does not support the claim that ‘listening to Mozart makes babies smarter’. When†¦show more content†¦However, there is one age group missing from this list: children, and specifically, babies. The research claim explicitly refers to making babies smarter, even though the original study, and all subsequent studies, have not been performed on babies. As seen in ‘Mozart effect-Shmozart effect: A meta-analysis’ by Pietschnig, Voracek and Formann (2010), nearly 40 studies (including over 3000 subjects) have been conducted to determine whether the Mozart effect really does boost spatial IQ. Although the original study found that listening to ten minutes of Mozart boosted spatial IQ by up to 9 points (in comparison to listening to silence or a relaxation tape), this study was conducted on college students, who are at a different developmental stage than infants (Rauscher et al. 1993). Therefore, the results of this study cannot be generalised to members of the population that are in a different age group. The apparent lack of testing the Mozart effect on babies indicates that perhaps there is no plausible way to test on such young children, as they are incapable of completing spatial reasoning tasks, such as cutting and folding paper. As there have been no studies that have tested on babies, results showing improved cognitive ability in babies after listening to Mozart simply do not exist, which is a major flaw of the research claim that ‘listening to Mozart makes babies smarter. The studies conducted since the original in 1993 have been indicative of some validity Show MoreRelatedDoes Playing Mozart to Babies Make Them Smarter? Essay1374 Words   |  6 PagesThe Mozart Effect Resource Centre website, music educator Don Campbell made the claim that â€Å"classical music has a powerful effect on the intellectual and creative development of children from the very youngest of ages.† (Campbell, n.d.). To critically evaluate this claim a number of sources have been analysed. Through this analysis it was found that the claim cannot be supported by reliable empirical research and that classical music only produces short-term cognitive enhancement. This effect canRead MoreHow Has Classical Music Changed the World1724 Words   |  7 PagesHOW HAS CLASSICAL MUSIC CHANGED THE WORLD How has classical music changed the world we live in? The world we live in has changed but Classical music has remained the same. Classical music isn’t really prevalent in today’s society. Classical music doesn’t appeal to this generation. Classical music is more appreciated by older generations. Classical Music is not as popular today as it used to be. It has been around for hundreds of years and it is the oldest type of music out there. Classical musicRead MoreMusic Makes Children Smarter : Music Essay1610 Words   |  7 PagesMusic Makes Children Smarter Music in many ways. has a potential to allure an individual, especially children, to improve their intellect, when involved in music. Schools and organizations had researched and estimated that schools with music curriculum, have more graduation and successful rates than school that do not doesn’t have music subjects. Universities have concluded that a specific part of our brain had a major role that can progress to become intellectual when exposed to classical musicRead MoreShort Note On Short Term Memory Essay1663 Words   |  7 Pageseither placed into a no music group, where the participants had to memorize as many words as they could without listening to any music, or various music groups with different genres and levels of volume (such as loud/soft rock, loud/soft classical, and loud/soft familiar music). The study found that volume and music genres did not have an effect on the number of words being recalled. Particularly, the type of music did not negatively affect memory retention, this suggests that music stills plays a roleRead MoreMozart Effect And Its Effect On Mental Development1479 Words   |  6 PagesThe Idea of the Mozart effect came at a time when scientists were trying to merge the aspect of psychology (the science of the mind), and neuroscience (the science of the brain). Scientists felt that music plays a major role in the learning and thinking processes (â€Å"The Mozart Effect†). The Mozart effect refers to the resultant enhanced mental performance that arises when one listens to Mozart’s music. It is suggested that listening to Mozart makes one smarter by improving their spatial intelligenceRead MoreEssay about The mozart effect1002 Words   |  5 Pages The Mozart Effect Does classical music really help you study better? Many recent research studies show that music idoes in fact improve cognitive thinking. In 1993, researchers at the University of California at Irvine discovered the so-called Mozart Effect - that college students â€Å"who listened to ten minutes of Mozarts Sonata for Two Pianos in D major K448 before taking an IQ test scored nine points higher† than when they had sat in silence or listened to relaxation tapes. Other studies haveRead MoreThe Mozart Effect Essay931 Words   |  4 PagesIt has long been believed that music can evoke specific thoughts and feelings from the listener. But can music –specifically the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart- summon hidden intelligences within the human brain? That is the question scientists are trying to answer. In the mid-nineties, scientists, Frances Rauscher, Gordon Shaw and Katherine Ky, claimed that music could boost the listener’s intelligence up to 9 points (Steele 2). To many, this allegation seemed a bit far-fetched and soon otherRead MoreMozart Effect1414 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Mozart Effect† The Mozart effect has two general definitions. Firstly, it is a set of research results that indicate that listening to Mozarts music may induce a short-term improvement on the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks known as spatial-temporal reasoning. And also it is popularized versions of the theory, which suggest that listening to Mozart makes you smarter, or that early childhood exposure to classical music has a beneficial effect on mental development. The termRead MoreThe Importance of Function Over Form in the Classical Concerto1406 Words   |  6 Pagesinstrumental genre to both demonstrate virtuosity as well as a cohesive character that embodied the natural. Though the series of changes from the Baroque concerto grosso to the Classical concerto were gradual and cannot be attributed to a single composer, the Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor K. 466 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a skillful representation of the genre in that era. Of particular interest in this concerto is the treatment of sonata form in the first movement. When compared to other instrumentalRead MoreSummary : Mozart 1016 Words   |  5 PagesJohannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart Lydia Molina Mr. Dresser General Music 27 May, 2015 Mozart Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, known for his string of operas, concertos, symphonies and sonatas, he helped shape classical music as it is today. â€Å"Born on January 27, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a musician capable of playing many instruments at age six. Over the years, Mozart aligned himself with a variety of European