KPDS-2011-Spring-03

ÖSYM • osym
May 22, 2011 2 min

In 1993, Frances Rauscher and her team published a scientific paper that changed the world. She had taken a number of students and randomly divided them into three groups. One group listened to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, the second group heard a standart relaxation tape, and the third sat in silence. Everyone then completed a standart test of spatial intelligence. Those who had listened Mozart scored far higher than those in the other two groups. Journalists reported the findings, with some exaggerating the results, declaring just a few minutes of Mozart led to a substantial, long-term increase in intelligence. The idea spread, some reporting that even babies became brighter after listening to Mozart. But when other scientists tried to replicate Rauscher's results, they concluded that the effect, if it existed, was much smaller than was first thought. For instance, Glenn Schellenberg had children learn keyboard skills, have voice training, take drama classes or, as a control, do nothing. Clear IQ improvements were observed in children who were taught keyboard skills or given voice lessons, whereas those given drama lessons were no different from the control group. It seems that the focused attention and memorization required in certain tasks, not just listening to Mozart, help children's self-discipline and thinking.


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