The Mozart Effect Essay -- Child Development

The Mozart Effect is a study that shows listening to classical music can have positive effects on learning and attitude. This occurrence is called the Mozart Effect, and it has been proven in experiments by many scientists. This research has caused much controversy between believers and nonbelievers, because The Mozart Effect is said to enhance the brain and reasoning; it is also used to reduce stress, depression, or anxiety; it induces relaxation or sleep; and the Mozart Effect activates the body. It also claims to help in the brain development in babies and young children and in addition is thought to aid in the process of studying. Scientists and skeptics have different beliefs about the benefits of the Mozart Effect. Scientists found that Mozart â€Å"enhanced synchrony between the neural activity in the right frontal and left tempoparietal cortical areas of the brain,† and that this effect continued for â€Å"over 12 minutes† (Rauscher & Shaw, 1998, p. 839). Based on these results, Leng and Shaw speculated that â€Å"listening to Mozart could be stimulating the neural firing patterns in the parts of the cerebral cortex responsible for spatial-temporal skills, which subsequently enhances the spatial-temporal abilities that are housed in those parts of the cortex†[Dowd]. However nonbelievers suggest that the research is incomplete and misleading. The Irvine study that launched the phenomenon has been widely criticized. The Startling results announced by the initial paper were misleading. First, the researchers claimed that the undergraduates improved on all three spatial-reasoning tests. But as Shaw later clarified, the only enhancement came from one task—paper folding and cutting. Further, the researchers presented the data in the form... ...it. To what extend Mozart’s music affects our brains is still a question for this mom. Works Cited Bruer, John T. The Myth of the First Three Years: A New Understanding of Early Brain Development and Lifelong Learning. New York: The Free Press 1999. Carroll, Robert. The Skeptic’s Dictionary. Robert Carroll. 2010. Web. 12 April 2011. Connor, Steven. â€Å"Mozart Effect Divides Science† Science News 26 Aug. 1999: Research Library, Lexis Nexis. Web. 15 March 2011. Dowd, Will. "The Myth of the Mozart Effect." Skeptic 13.4 (2007): 21-23. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.) Fordahl, Matthew. â€Å"Mozart Won’t Help Smarts: Studies.† Entertainment, 26 Aug. 1999: Research Library, Lexis Nexis. Web. 15 March 2011. Siegfried, T. "Many Curious Scientists Have Music on Their Minds.† Science News 14 Aug. 2010: Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.