The Effect of Music on Spatial Ability

In the first Mozart Effect study, Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky [1] found that exposure to a Mozart sonata enhanced visuo-spatial task performance. In this study, we sought to examine whether there was such an effect on three spatial ability sub-factors, namely spatial visualization factor (the paper folding test), spatial relation factor (card rotation test) and perceptual speed factor (hidden pattern test). In a between-subject design, 90 participants were exposed to 10 minute periods of a Mozart Sonata, Bach, or silence. After listening to a music stimulus or silence period, participants completed three spatial tests. The treatment conditions did not yield significant differences between groups. The results from all three spatial tests did not support the Mozart effect.