The “Mozart effect” is a statement based on research studies claiming that listening to the music of Mozart may produce an increase in your IQ and performance in certain types of mental tasks.
This effect was applied not just to adults, but later also to unborn and postpartum babies up to 60 days old. The “Mozart effect” stemmed from research carried out in 1993 by researchers Frances H.
Rauscher, Gordon L. Shaw and Katherine N. Ky at the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and
Memory at UC Irvine, California. Other research studies have found no statistics to support the “Mozart effect”. These studies gained media attention which resulted in the phrase “Mozart effect”.
Numerous studies have been carried out since the initial 1993
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Gordon L. Shaw a physicist and Katherine N. Ky (the ‘Rauscher 1993’ study) all researchers at the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at UC Irvine, California. They conducted a study where a group of 36 adult college students were exposed to Mozart’s Sonata in D Major for Two Pianos (K448), followed by a relaxation tape or silence – the “three conditions”. Each exposure lasted for 10 minute
intervals followed by three sets of IQ spatial reasoning tests using the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale which is a standardized test to measure intelligence. All of the students were given the same test designed to measure spatial IQ, which involved them mentally unfolding a piece of paper that has been folded multiple times and cut. The goal was to select the correct unfolded paper from five examples.
The results of the experiment showed those students who listened to the Mozart Sonata scored significantly higher than the students who listened to the relaxation tape or sat in silence. The average score for those students who listened to Mozart was an 8-9 point increase in IQ. This increase however was only temporary lasting for no longer than 10-15 minutes. The researcher’s findings were published in the October 14, 1993 edition of the international journal ‘Nature’, which publishes new and innovative research in diverse scientific categories. The article garnered a lot of media and public attention and speculation which resulted in
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 “who listened to ten minutes of Mozart's 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 have also indicated that it doesn’t matter the artist; people retain information better if they hear classical or baroque music while studying.
In a study done by Jennifer L. Lilley, Crystal D. Oberle, and Jon G. Thompson, Jr. at Texas State University, they tested the effects of grade consequences and music on test anxiety and performance. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of the participants grades if there were consequences and how music effects the participates anxiety and their test performances. There were previous works cited on how people improve their spatial cognitive task performances after listening to Mozart (Ho, Mason, & Spence, 2007). They also included studies where there were no benefits to people’s spatial cognitive task performances after listening to Mozart (Hui, 2006).
Throughout history there have been demonstrations of grit and the correlation to cognitive ability developing strongly through childhood. Mozart, was most commonly related to being a “child prodigy”, having an extremely high IQ and musically based talent (Ericsson, Prietula and Cokely 2007, p. 3). What is not universally known about the development of his ability
The effects of Mozart on today’s society can be seen just about everywhere. In marketing, they play music to make the consumer want to buy their product. In restaurants, they play music to help the customer feel relaxed in their establishment. People listen to music while driving cars. It seems that music permeates almost every aspect of our everyday lives. When people think of the birth of modern music, they often think of classical music. And when people think of classical music, they think of Mozart. During the 18th century, the musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed a total number of six hundred and fifty works. When he was younger, he toured Europe with his father, Leopold, and his sister, Nannerl, playing for Europe’s elite of the time. He put forth some major musical contributions that shape modern music today (Fiero 324,326). Classical music is the great grandfather of all modern music. Some people enjoy
Mozart was known for having an ear that would make any musician envious. From a young age he was able to listen to any piece of music and his mind would interpret all of that data with ease. While in Rome, he listened to a performance of Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere only twice at the Sistine Chapel and was able to write it down for memory when he got home (Abert 135).
In Joanne Lipman’s “A Musical Fix for U.S. Schools”, she describes the benefits music can bring to a student’s IQ that allows them to perform superior in school. Music forces a person to think differently than how they usually may in other classes. This allows for new thinking strategies to form, improving the cognitive side of the mind. This positive difference is shown when a canadian study was done with music training where the results showed an increase in IQ in the group of people children studied (Lipman). With that study, the favorable results of music is clear for children. An IQ measures the intelligence of people, which is related to the cognitive abilities of the mind, and therefore the person. People may think that music may
Other elements to consider within this discipline would be visual and sound equipment. Positive subliminal learning stimulation, such as it is claimed by the theory of the Mozart effect, could be provided.
In order to understand, one must understand the history of the myth. The term “Mozart Effect” is commonly used to discuss the general correlation between Mozart and increased intelligence. However, this term is applicable to many different tests and relationships. For example, the Mozart Effect can be used to describe the relationship between listening to Mozart while in the womb and increased intelligence. While this is a common myth, it is not the myth discussed in this paper. I will be addressing the “Mozart Effect” based on Dr. Gordon Shaw’s theory of the Mozart Effect, which states “listening to classical music makes you smarter.” After conducting a study in which college students took an IQ test before and after listening to Mozart’s famed “Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major,” Shaw claimed that the student’s IQ increased by “as much as 9 points.” This conclusion sparked many tests, ranging from
(2001) explained that the “Mozart effect” is due to arousal and mood improvement. The arousal-mood hypothesis proposes that listening to music, affects people’s level of arousal and mood, which in turn influence performance on different cognitive tasks (Husain, Thompson, & Schellenberg, 2002).
Aheadi, Dixon, and Glover were able to identify the benefits of musical training in a study involving the Mozart effect. Aheadi et al. state that, “Evidence suggests musical training can lead to long term enhancement of intelligence” (Aheadi, Dixon, and Glover, 2009, pg. 1). The results in this study showed that musicians had a higher overall performance compared to non-musicians. In a 1998, study completed by Overy, they were able to show that musical training tends to lead to increased intellectual abilities. They extrapolated that musical training improves cognitive functioning in attention, coordination, language, and concentration (Overy,
Is the "Mozart effect" a fact or a myth? How can one type of music affect the intelligence of a human being?
The mind is greatly impacted by music by showing healthful changes (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). Doctors now use music for their patients’ treatments in order to help them stay healthy (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). Heart patients acquired the same benefits from listening to classical music for thirty minutes as they did from anti-anxiety medication (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). Musical therapy has been used to help people with heart problems, which worked quite effectively. (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). People who have had migraines frequently, were trained to use music and relaxing procedures to reduce their headaches. Studies have also shown that music helps students with their intelligence levels (www.bellaonline.com/articles/). A majority of students had higher test scores than others because they listened to Mozart before their exam. People who listened to classical music for an hour and a half while revising manuscripts increased their accuracy by 21% (www.bellaonline.com/articles) (Mish 725.).
Scientists at the University of Helsinki have discovered that listening to classical music alters the function of our genes. In a study, scientists took blood samples from participants before and after listening to one of Mozart’s Violin Concertos. They found that the music directly affects human RNA1. This suggests that listening to classical music has many surprising health benefits. Listening to classical music positively affects your body by lowering blood pressure, increasing mental alertness and memory, and reducing stress. Listening to classical music benefits your health.
J.S. Jenkins sain in 1995 Ties to the Mozart effect, a theory that playing music from Mozart can grow bacteria, plants, improve health in babies, and even the reproduction of milk.
The Mozart Effect is a phenomenon that occurs when individuals listen to the two piano sonata. The stated results are individuals that are able to remember information easier. There are two studies that were conducted in associated with the Mozart Effect. The first study was dedicated to spatial skill performance and its neural pathway relation to music. The other study was dedicated to challenging the first study due to the argument that any type of music that is appreciated can cause the same memory effect. The second study was based on an experiment with unborn mice that heard Mozart’s piano sonata K448. The other part of the study was related to the effects of Mozart’s piano sonata K448 on patients who were suffering from epilepsy. The overall conclusion is that Mozart’s piano sonata K448 has positive effects on both animals and humans.