Blog 3 – Does the Mozart Effect make you more intelligent?
It would be nice to imagine the idea that by listening to a composition of classical music we could increase our intelligence levels in an instant. Despite a lot of media attention and many books, CD’s and tapes made about the legendary Mozart Effect, I must say, being a previous music student for A Levels and having to listen to hours of Mozart, I don’t believe the Mozart effect is valid. To gain a basic understanding of what the Mozart effect is watch this video.
The Mozart effect came around when the publication of the finding of Rauscher et al. (1993) that subjects score higher in standardized tests assessing spatial task performance after exposure to the first movement “allegro con spirito” of the Mozart sonata KV 448 for two pianos in D major(mean-differences of 8–9 IQ points in the spatial reasoning subtest of the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scale) entailed vast interest in the scientific community, as well as in popular media. . (Piestching et al.2010)
Although the Mozart effect was originally demonstrated in college students and employed tests measuring only spatial ability, popular media referring to this finding reported that exposure to Mozart music will somehow enhance the intelligence of children. (Piestching et al. 2010)
The Arousal Theory
Several authors have suggested that enhancement of subsequent cognitive functioning may simply be attributed to an increase in arousal facilitated by, but not specific to, exposure to the Mozart piece (Chabris, 1999; Steele, 2000; Thompson, Schellenberg, & Husain, 2001; Lints & Gadbois, 2003) (Roth and Smith, 2008).
Chabris (1999) acknowledged that there was a moderate advantage in the Mozart condition, but after a meta-analysis of the 16 papers published at that time, he deduced that it was most likely due to a short-term "enjoyment arousal" facilitated by the music. (Roth and Smith, 2008).
Another test was conducted by Nantais and Schellenberg (1999) who gave a similar explanation for higher performance on the spatial-temporal task in terms of elevation of mood facilitated via exposure to a preferred stimulus. Instead of using silence or "relaxation" control groups, these authors utilized the reading of a short story by Stephen King, which yielded results similar to those for the Mozart condition.
When you listen to these songs, how do you feel? (Sad, happy, angry, calm)
After listening to this variety of music, ask yourself do you think you would complete tasks faster or slower based on the speed/mood of the song?
The theory is still seen in books as it is believed to help children with complex needs. Ockelford (2008) says that it is axiomatic that the musical significance of the repetition of sounds can only be appreciated within the context of understanding their potential variations, and it appears that this capacity is usually in place shortly after birth, evidenced both by listening and by vocal production. Yet there is no direct link to Mozart’s music and helping children with complex needs.
In one of the lectures a few of us were asked to listen to Mozart and some were asked to listen to their own music choice, the rest were in silence, before completing a times table test. The ones who were listening to their own music finished the quiz the quickest, then I came third after listening to Mozart and everyone else came shortly behind.
Although there may be some truth in the arousal theory there are still a lot of varying factors as to why the people finished the test when they did. These factors are ones we cannot control such as natural intelligence (I would personally say that I am good at maths), the environment, as many people are shy, maybe someone who sat in silence finished first but did not say due to shyness, the music theory – the song was in allegro which means a fast pace, there were many ascending and descending scales moving at a fast pace, maybe because the music was moving quickly, it made me want to answer the questions faster?
What is your opinion in the Mozart effect? Could there be some truth in this theory or are we over the concept and ready to debunk this theory?
References
Chabris, C. F. (1999). Prelude or requiem for the ‘Mozart effect’? Nature, 400,826−827. Cited in Pietsching, J., Voracek, M., and Formann, A.K. (2010) ‘Intelligence’ Mozart effect-Shmozart effect: A meta-analysis(38) pp. 314-323 (Accessed: 27 November 2018)
Lints, A., & Gadbois, S. (2003). Is listening to Mozart the only way to enhance spatial reasoning? Perceptual and Motor Skills, 97, 1163−1174. Cited in Pietsching, J., Voracek, M., and Formann, A.K. (2010) ‘Intelligence’ Mozart effect-Shmozart effect: A meta-analysis(38) pp. 314-323 (Accessed: 27 November 2018)
Nantaisk, M., and Schellenbereg, G. (1999) The Mozart effect: an artifact of preference. Psychological Science 10, 370-372. Cited in Roth, E.A and Smith, K.H. (2008) ‘Perpetual and Motor Skills’ The Mozart Effect: Evidence for the Arousal Hypothesis pp. 396-402 (Accessed 27 November 2018)
Pietsching, J., Voracek, M., and Formann, A.K. (2010) ‘Intelligence’ Mozart effect-Shmozart effect: A meta-analysis(38) pp. 314-323 (Accessed: 27 November 2018)
Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L., & Ky, C. N. (1993). Music and spatial task performance. Nature, 365(6447), 611-611.
Roth, E.A and Smith, K.H. (2008) ‘Perpetual and Motor Skills’ The Mozart Effect: Evidence for the Arousal Hypothesis pp. 396-402 (Accessed 27 November 2018)
Schellenberg, E. G. (2006). Exposure to music: the truth about the consequences. In G. E. McPherson (Ed.), The child as musician: A handbook of musical develop- ment (pp. 111−134). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cited in Pietsching, J., Voracek, M., and Formann, A.K. (2010) ‘Intelligence’ Mozart effect-Shmozart effect: A meta-analysis(38) pp. 314-323 (Accessed: 27 November 2018)
Steele, K. M. (2000). Arousal and mood factors in the “Mozart effect.” Perceptual and Motor Skills, 91, 188-190. Cited in Pietsching, J., Voracek, M., and Formann, A.K. (2010) ‘Intelligence’ Mozart effect-Shmozart effect: A meta-analysis(38) pp. 314-323 (Accessed: 27 November 2018)
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