The Mozart Effect?
Lobo Cervantes
In 1994, New York Times music columnist Alex Ross wrote in a lighthearted article, 'researchers Rauscher and Shaw have determined that listening to
Mozart actually makes you smarter," and presented this as the final piece of evidence that Mozart has dethroned Beethoven as the world's greatest
composer." A 1997 Boston Globe article also mentioned some of the Rauscher and Shaw results. It described one study in which three- and four-year-
olds who were given eight months of private piano lessons scored 34% higher on tests of spatio-temporal reasoning than control groups given
computer lessons, singing lessons, and no training
The 1997 book by Don Campbell, The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit,
discusses the theory that listening to Mozart (especially the piano concertos) may temporarily increase one's IQ and produce many other beneficial
effects on mental function Campbell recommends playing specially selected classical music to infants, in the expectation that it will benefit their
mental development.
After The Mozart Effect, Campbell wrote a follow-up book, The Mozart Effect For Children, and created related products. Among these are collections of
music that he states harness the Mozart effect to enhance deep rest and rejuvenation', 'intelligence and learning' and 'creativity and imagination"
Campbell defines the term as 'an inclusive term signifying the transformational powers of music in health, education, and well-being. It represents the
general use of music to reduce stress, depression, or anxiety, induce relaxation or sleep, activate the body, and improve memory or awareness.
Innovative and experimental uses of music and sound can improve listening disorders, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, autism, and other mental and
physical disorders and diseases."
These theories are controversial. The relationship of sound and music (both played and listened to) for cognitive function and various physiological
metrics has been explored in studies with no definitive results.
Choose all answers that identify types of evidence cited in the passage.
direct quotes of authors
direct quotes of musical composers
Statistics
Research studies
Direct quotes of individuals participating
Nonfiction books
Articles