Unconvincing Evidence That Rats Show a Mozart Effect

Do Rats Show a Mozart Effect ?

The “Mozart effect” is an increase in spatial reasoning scores after listening to a Mozart piano sonata. Both the production and interpretation of the effect are controversial. Many studies have failed to replicate the original effect. Other studies have explained a Mozart effect as being caused by changes in arousal or differences in preferences of the listener. F. H. Rauscher, K. D. Robinson,...

Mozart Effect

Steele (2003) raised several concerns regarding Rauscher, Robinson, & Jens’ (1998) study that found improved maze running following early music exposure in rats. Steele’s primary criticisms were that the rats in the Rauscher et al. study were only able to hear 31% of the notes, and that a selection bias resulting in pre-existing differences between groups could account for the disparity in thei...

The Mozart effect: evidence for the arousal hypothesis.

This study investigated the effect of music listening for performance on a 25-question portion of the analytical section of the Graduate Record Exam by 72 undergraduate students (M age 21.9 yr.). Five levels of an auditory condition were based on Mozart Piano Sonata No. 3 (K. 281), Movement I (Allegro); a rhythm excerpt; a melody excerpt; traffic sounds; and silence. Participants were randomly ...

Unconvincing evidence for condemning school-based conflict resolution programs.

The "Mozart Effect": Hard Science or Hype

The positive effects of the music of Wolfgang Amadaus Mozart on spatial reasoning ability have become a popular topic. Some studies suggest that listening to Mozart has a short-term positive effect on spatial IQ. Others suggest that prenatal and early childhood exposure to music can lead to long-term positive effects. However, some attempts to duplicate and generalize these findings have failed...