Is the Mozart effect real?
The Mozart Effect (That's Not a Thing)
The Mozart effect has gotten a lot of hype (and criticism) the past few decades...what's the real story? This episode breaks down the research that led to the Mozart effect being debunked. Even though those Mozart baby CDs won't make your baby smarter, we also share the one music activity that has shown to have long-term benefits to cognitive processing.
For more information on the research articles and music in this episode, go to www.InstrumentalPodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter (@instrumentalpod) for news and updates!
Research Articles:
Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L., & Ky, K. N. (1993) Music and spatial task performance. Nature, 365(6447). 611. doi:10.1038/365611a0
Nantais, K. M., & Schellenberg, E. G. (1999). The Mozart effect: An artifact of preference. Psychological Science, 10(4), 370-373.
Thompson, W. F., Schellenberg, E. G., & Husain, G. (2001). Arousal, mood, and the Mozart effect. Psychological Science, 12(3), 248-251.
Pietschnig, J., Voracek, M., & Formann, A. K. (2010). Mozart effect-schmozart effect: A meta-analysis. Intelligence, 38, 314-323.
Bugos, J. A., Perlstein, W. M., McCrae, C. S., Brophy, T. S., & Bedenbaugh, P. H. (2007). Individualized piano instruction enahnces executive functioning and working memory in older adults. Aging and Mental Health, 11(14), 464-471.
Music Clips:
Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major K.448: I. Allegro con spirito (Mozart)
Adagio in G minor (Albinoni)
Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major K.448: II. Andante (Mozart)