The Reference Desk, using available evidence and research, provides quick-turnaround responses to questions submitted by education stakeholders around the Northeast and Islands Region. Every Friday, REL-NEI highlights one or two questions submitted to its Reference Desk.
Question of the Week
What Are the Effects of Music on Infant Development?
The Reference Desk has received a variety of interesting questions regarding child development. This week’s digest focuses on the impact of music on infant development. In particular, it identifies resources that discuss the validity of the “Mozart Effect,” which is the theory “that listening to classical music enhances intelligence” (Heath, 2004).
Question
What does the research say about the effects of music on infant development?
Research Synthesis
Reference Desk researchers found resources suggesting that “musical experiences can offer benefits during the first weeks and months of a child’s life. Infants can successfully learn about music and through musical experiences” (De l’Etoile, 2008; see below). However, dissension exists regarding the scientific research of the “Mozart Effect,” which many anecdotal resources use to validate the use of music and musical interventions with infants because of the methodology of the original study. One author below posits that “the idea of the Mozart Effect started in a scientific study of college students but then became distorted into a story about making babies and children smarter”(Bangerter, 2004; see below).
Publicly Available Resources
- Teaching the Youngest Learners. De l’Etoile, S.; Fall 2008; General Music Today, Vol. 22, No. 1; ERIC Document # EJ810366.
“In the developmental window extending from birth until the end of the first postnatal year, music can serve multiple purposes. Through music, a teacher or caregiver can provide much-needed sensory stimulation to enhance central nervous system development. Music also promotes attending, imitation, arousal modulation, and exploration of the environment. Most importantly, when musical experiences are provided through live interaction with an adult, infants learn critical communication skills such as reciprocal dialogue, speech sounds, and how to associate sounds with objects, events, or feelings. Even before infants understand the meaning of words, they can comprehend the affective content of musical patterns (Nakata & Trehub, 2004). Thus, music provides a way for infants to have synchronized interactions with caregiving adults, through which they learn to regulate their own emotions... A critical variable to consider when designing musical experiences for infants is the issue of live versus recorded music... Not surprisingly, research findings demonstrate that live singing is significantly more effective than recorded music at sustaining infant attention over time (de l'Etoile, 2006). Commercial recordings can be beneficial, if selected and implemented with care; however, most recorded music marketed for infants tends to be too fast, too complex, and in the wrong key for young listeners” (page 35).
- Music and Spatial Task Performance: A Causal Relationship. Rauscher, F., Shaw, G., and Ky, K.; 1993; Nature, 365; ERIC document # ED390733; p. 611.
Note: The research described in these articles was the basis for the “Mozart Effect” theory. From ERIC Abstract: “A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource.This research paper reports on testing the hypothesis that music and spatial task performance are causally related. Two complementary studies are presented that replicate and explore previous findings. One study of college students showed that listening to a Mozart sonata induces subsequent short-term spatial reasoning facilitation and tested the effects of highly repetitive music on spatial reasoning. The second study extends the findings of a preliminary pilot study of 1993 which suggested that music training of three-year-olds provides long-term enhancements of nonverbal cognitive abilities already present at significant levels in infants. The paper concludes with a discussion of the scientific and educational implications, further controls, and future research objectives.”
- The Mozart Effect: Tracking the Evolution of a Scientific Legend. Bangerter, A., and Heath, C.; 2004; British Journal of Social Psychology, 43; pp. 605–623.
Summary from the author’s website: “Popular culture has embraced the Mozart Effect, the idea that babies and children become smarter when they listen to classical music, particularly Mozart’s. You can buy Mozart CDs and videos to make your child smarter and several states have passed legislation to ensure that kids in their state listen to Mozart. But scientific research has not supported the Mozart Effect. In this paper we show how the idea of the Mozart Effect started in a scientific study of college students but then became distorted into a story about making babies and children smarter. The Mozart Effect is mentioned more in the popular media of states that have problems with their educational system. Thus, the Mozart Effect seems to diffuse, in part, because it looks like a simple solution to a serious social problem. Similarities to fad diets, management practices, educational techniques, and medical treatments are probably coincidental.”
The Reference Desk also found these resources and organizations to be helpful in learning more about
early child development and music
in general:
- American Music Therapy Association
According to the website: “The mission of the American Music Therapy Association is to advance public awareness of the benefits of music therapy and increase access to quality music therapy services in a rapidly changing world.”
- ZERO TO THREE
According to the website: “ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers.”
Download the Full Response
If this material brings up questions of your own, please submit a new request here. If you’re interested in learning more about the Reference Desk, read about us here. And finally, share thoughts, experiences, and resources of your own by clicking on the Feedback link below.
