Mozart And The Mind Essays - Intelligence, Psychometrics

Mozart And The Mind Mozart and the Mind Music appears to be one of the fundamental activities of mankind. In nearly every country around the world people are dancing, singing, jiving, or chillin to their favorite tunes. There is just something about the variations of musical notes all mixed together that can alter the way we act, feel, and even think. It is generally agreed that music causes some kind of increased arousal in those who are the least bit interested in it and are listening with some degree of concentration. In depth studies have shown that music can reduce pain in childbirth, strengthen immune systems, and give surgery patients fewer complications with a much faster recovery (Take two? 108). The latest claim is that listening to classical music can enhance ones ability to reason abstractly, in turn boosting a person's IQ (intelligence quotient). The question is, is the claim really valid? Astonishingly, this idea is taken as fact in most parts of America when really it is a theory based on much exaggeration. This idea of there being a link between classical music and a person's IQ is commonly referred to as the Mozart Effect, a term coined by Alfred Tomatis. This was first suggested about six years ago by a group of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (Halpern 1). Using music as treatment for psychological or physical disorders is an idea that has existed in many forms, in many cultures, and for many centuries (Marwick 267). Well, so what. Music may play a role in how a person acts or feels. But does becoming smarter by listening to this same music fall along similar lines? Braddock 2 Some agree and others disagree; nevertheless they are basing their beliefs on three areas: experimental data, scientific research on the brain, or personal experiences. Among the many supporters of the Mozart Effect is the author of The Mozart Effect, Don Campbell. The Red Book magazine reports Campbell saying in his book that 'music alters our energy patterns and affects all sorts of processes, from blood pressure and heartbeat to muscle tensions and brain waves' (Take two? 108). The main study of importance supporting Campbell's claim came from a study done by researchers from the University of Wisconsin. This study consisted of several college students listening to Mozart's Sonata of two pianos in D major for 10 minutes and then taking a specialized test (Weiss D5). The results showed that the students scored better on the tests after listening to the music, giving evidence of at least a temporary boost in IQ (D5). With studies like these surfacing, there is just to much evidence in support of the Mozart Effect for it to just be thrown away, yet the evidence presented from these same studies is not strong enough to persuade all. So the controvers y is now on the validity of studies like the one conducted by the researchers from the University of Wisconsin. These people in opposition believe that music has no relation with the way you think and how one may learn. The main arguments that the theory debunkers present have to do with the lack of scientific evidence the theory is currently holding its ground with. One strong argument against the Mozart Effect is that the only study taken tested one short piece of music: 10 minutes' worth of Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major. The study said that, after listening to the music, subjects only experienced a Braddock 3 temporary boost in scores (Kolata 5). So in fact the original research behind this attractive brain-altering notion said nothing about neither intelligence nor brain development. All it displayed was that a group of college students happened to do better on a battery of specialized tests shortly after listening to Mozart. Despite these claims there is still scientific research being done on music and its relationship to the mind including numerous laboratory experiments on animals and humans alike. Shown with an Electro-encephalogram, the changes of amplitude and frequency of the brain waves are evident. Therefore there is definitely something going on in the brain when musical notes vibrate through our ears, but the question of does it make a person smarter? is still present.