The Mozart effect can refer to:
- A set of research results that show that listening to Mozart music can encourage short-term improvement on the performance of certain types of mental tasks known as "spatial-temporal reasoning;"
- The popularized version of the hypothesis, which shows that "listening to Mozart makes you smarter," or that early childhood exposure to classical music has a beneficial effect on mental development;
- US trademarks for a set of commercial records and related material, which claimed to utilize effects for various purposes. The trademark owner, Don Campbell, Inc., claims benefits far beyond the increase in spatio-temporal reasoning or enhancing intelligence, defining the mark as "an inclusive term that signifies the transformational power of music in health, education, and well-being."
The term was first coined by Alfred A. Tomatis who used Mozart's music as a hearing stimulus in his work trying to cure various distractions. This approach has been popularized in the book Don Campbell, The Mozart Effect , which is based on experiments published in Nature which show that listening to Mozart improves temporary scores on one part of the IQ Test. As a result, Georgia Governor of the United States, Zell Miller, proposed a budget to provide every child born in Georgia with classical music CDs.
Video Mozart effect
Alfred A. Tomatis
The concept of "Mozart effect" is described by French researchers Dr. Alfred A. Tomatis in his 1991 book Pourquoi Mozart? ( Why Mozart? ). He uses Mozart music in his attempt to "retrain" the ear, and believes that listening to music presented at different frequencies helps the ears, and promotes healing and brain development.
Maps Mozart effect
Rauscher et al. 1993 learning
Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky (1993) investigated the effect of listening to music by Mozart on spatial reasoning, and the results were published in Nature . They gave the study participants one of three standard tests of abstract spatial reasoning after they experienced each of three hearing conditions: Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K. 448 by Mozart, verbal relaxation instruction, and silence. They found a temporary increase in spatial reasoning, as measured by a spatial interpretation sub-task of the Stanford-Binet IQ test. Rauscher et al. shows that the effect of improving the musical condition is only temporary: no students have an effect beyond the 15 minute period at which they are tested. This study does not make statements of increase in IQ in general (because IQ is never measured).
Popularize
While Rauscher et al. only shows an increase in "spatial intelligence", the result is popularly interpreted as a general increase in IQ. This misunderstanding, and the fact that the music used in this study by Mozart, has a clear appeal to those who appreciate this music; the Mozart effect is thus widely reported. In 1994, New York Times music columnist Alex Ross wrote in a lightweight article, "[Rauscher and Shaw] researchers have decided that listening to Mozart really makes you smarter," and presented this as a final proof that Mozart had removed Beethoven as "the world's greatest composer." Article 1997 Boston Globe mentions some of the results of Rauscher and Shaw. This illustrates a study in which three and four years given an eight-month personal piano lesson scored 30% higher on spatio-temporal reasoning tests than control groups given computer lessons, singing lessons, and no training.
Book of 1997 by Don Campbell, Mozart Effects: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Reinforcing the Mind, and Unlocking the Creative Spirit , discussing the theories that listened to Mozart (especially the piano concert)) temporarily increased one's IQ and produce many other beneficial effects on mental function. Campbell recommends playing classical music chosen specifically for infants, in the hope that it will be beneficial to their mental development.
After The Mozart Effect , Campbell wrote a follow-up book, Mozart Effects For Children , and created related products. Among these are music collections that he claims to utilize the Mozart effect to enhance "deep rest and rejuvenation", "intelligence and learning", and "creativity and imagination". Campbell defines the term as "an inclusive term that signifies the transformational power of music in health, education, and well-being, represents the use of music in general to reduce stress, depression, or anxiety, encourage relaxation or sleep, activate the body, and improve memory or awareness. The use of innovative and experimental music and sound can improve hearing, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, autism, and other mental and physical disorders and illness.
These theories are controversial. The relationship between sound and music (both played and heard) for cognitive functioning and various physiological metrics has been explored in studies with no definite results.
Political impact
The political impact of the theory was demonstrated on January 13, 1998, when Zell Miller, the governor of Georgia, announced that his proposed state budget would cover $ 105,000 per year to provide every child born in Georgia with classical music cassettes or CDs. Miller stated "No one has questioned that listening to music at a very early age affects the underlying spatial-temporal reasoning of math and technique and even chess." Miller plays the legislator some of the "Ode to Joy" of Beethoven on a tape recorder and asks, "Now, do not you feel smarter?" Miller asked Yoel Levi, director of the Atlanta Symphony music, to collect a collection of classic works to be included. Country representative Homer DeLoach said: "I asked about the possibility of incorporating some Charlie Daniels or something like that, but they say they think classical music has a bigger positive effect.Because never learning about that impact too much, I guess I'll just have to take they say to it. "
Research and subsequent meta-analysis
While some supporting reports have been published, studies with positive results tend to be associated with any form of music that has energetic and positive emotional qualities. In addition, the intellectual benefits of enhanced mood and passion are not limited to spatial-temporal reasoning, but extend to processing speed and creative problem solving. Among children, some studies show no effect on IQ or spatial abilities, while others suggest that the effect can be generated with energetic popular music enjoyed by children. The next weight of evidence supports either a zero effect, or short-term effects associated with an increase in mood and arousal, with mixed results published after the initial report in Nature .
In 1999, a major challenge was raised to the existence of the Mozart effect by two research teams. In a pair of papers published together with the title "Prelude or Requiem for the 'Mozart Effect'?" Chabris reported a meta-analysis showing that "any cognitive enhancement is small and does not reflect a change in IQ or reasoning ability in general, but derives entirely from performance on a particular type of cognitive task and has a simple neuropsychological explanation", called "joy of pleasure". For example, he cites a study that found that "listening to Mozart or a part of the Stephen King story improves the subject's performance in folding and cutting paper (one of the tests often used by Rauscher and Shaw) but only for those who enjoy what they hear ". Steele et. Al. found that "listening to Mozart resulted in a 3-point increase relative to silence in one experiment and a 4-point drop in other experiments". In another study, the effect was replicated with original Mozart music, but was eliminated as the tempo slowed and the major chord was replaced with a minor chord.
Other meta-analyzes by Pietschnig, Voracek, and Formann (2010) combine the results of 39 studies to answer the question of whether or not Mozart Effect exists. They conclude that there is little evidence to support the Mozart effect, as indicated by the small effect size. However, the most striking finding in this meta-analysis is a significantly larger effect published in research affiliated with Rauscher or Rideout, with an effect size more than three times higher for published research affiliated with founding members of the Mozart Effect. The effect of systematic moderation is because lab affiliates question the existence of the Mozart Effect. In addition, the study also found strong evidence supporting a confusing publication bias when the effect of sample size that listens to Mozart is compared with non-stimulus samples.
Despite implementing Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky (1995) suggestions of three key components that must be present to mimic the Mozart Effect, McCutcheon (2000) still fails to reproduce the Mozart Effect in a study with 36 adults. These conditions are: to ensure tasks that touch the spatial components of mental imagery; research designs that do not include pretest to avoid the effect of the ceiling; complex musical compositions rather than repetitive and simple. Apart from listening to classical, jazz or silent music, this study did not produce a significant effect on the performance of spatial reasoning.
The Mozart effect is probably just a passionate artifact and a high mood. Arousal is a confounding variable that mediates the relationship between spatial and musical abilities that define the Mozart Effect. The "neural resonance" theory of Rauscher and his colleagues who argue that Mozart's music prioritizes the neural pathways of spatial reasoning has been heavily criticized.
Government agencies are also involved in analyzing wealth (about 300 articles per 2005) from the report. A German report concludes, for example, that "... passively listening to Mozart - or indeed any other music you like - does not make you smarter, but more studies must be done to find out if music lessons can elevate your child's IQ in long-term ".
The popular presentation of the "Mozart effect", including Alex Ross's comment that "listening to Mozart really makes you smarter" and Zell Miller "do not you feel smarter" to ask the Georgian legislature, almost always tying it up with "intelligence". Rauscher, one of the original researchers, has rejected this idea. In 1999, an article that challenged the effect, published along with the article, he wrote (emphasis added):
Our results on the listening effect of Mozart Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major K. 448 on the performance of spatial-temporal tasks have generated a lot of interest but some misunderstandings, many of which are reflected in efforts to replicate the research. Comments by Chabris and Steele et al. echo is the most common of these: that listening to Mozart improves intelligence. We did not make such a claim. The effect is limited to spatial-temporal tasks involving mental imagery and temporary ordering.
In an effort such as Miller's budget proposal, and the press attention surrounding its effects, Rauscher said, "I do not think it could hurt me all to expose children to a wonderful cultural experience, but I think the money could be better spent on music education programs. "
Many scholars in the psychology community now see the claim that playing classical music for children can increase their intelligence to "myth". Emory University psychologist Scott Lilienfeld ranked Mozart Effect as number six in his book 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology .
Health benefits
Music has been evaluated to see if it has other properties. The April 2001 edition of the Royal Society of Medicine Journal assessed the possible health benefits of Mozart music. John Jenkins plays Sonata K.448 for patients with epilepsy and found a decrease in epileptiform activity. According to the British Epilepsy Organization, research shows that apart from Mozart K.448 and Piano Concerto no. 23 (K. 488), only one other piece of music is found to have a similar effect; song by the Greek composer Yanni, entitled "Acroyali/Standing in Motion" (a version of Yanni Live at the Acropolis performed at the Acropolis ). He is determined to have a "Mozart effect", by the Royal Society of Medicine Journal because it is similar to Mozart K.448 in melodic and harmonious tempos, structures, harmonies and predictions.
Other uses of Mozart music
While it is clear that exposure to Mozart does not increase IQ, studies of the effects of music have been explored as various fields as a result of animal onset or research showing that even in-utero exposure in rats improves their labyrinth learning. Original claims continue to affect public life. For example, a German waste treatment plant plays Mozart music to break up garbage faster, reports Britain Guardian . Anton Stucki, head of Treuenbrietzen plant operator said, "We think the secret is in the vibrations of music, which penetrate everything - including water, sewage, and cells."
See also
- Psychoacoustics
- Einstein's baby
- Significance of music education
- Listen to Prozac
References
External links
- "" Mozart music does not make you smarter, study finds ", Science Daily, May 10, 2010
- Dowd, Will. (2008-02-06) ISSNÃ, 1556-5696. Myths about Mozart effect
- Skeptic's Dictionary - The Mozart Effect
- Frequently asked questions on Mozart Effect
Source of the article : Wikipedia