Does Music Enhance Memorization Study Skills in

Sixth Grade Students?

Donna Elwell

University of Texas at Dallas

SCE 5305

Fall, 2004

The Mozart Effect

• Researchers at UC-Irvine publish a brief report about the relationship of music and spatial task performance

• Listening to the Mozart sonata improved IQ score by 8-9 points

• Effects are temporary

Spatial-Temporal Tasks

• The ability to create, maintain, transform, and relate complex mental images.

• Reasoning through time and space

           

Public Goes Bargain Hunting

How Students Study

• Must have background noise

• Hip-Hop• Rap• TV

What Educators Think

• Many students have difficulty remembering

• Many students experience test anxiety

Turn on, Tune in

• Use music to introduce new concepts or vocabulary

• Prime the brain for thinking with classical music

• Start a connection to convert information to long-term memory

Action Plan

• Develop a within subjects test to determine if certain kinds of music can stimulate short term memory in 6th grade students

• Analyze data to determine if any effect is seen for the different treatments

• Share results

References

Bales, D. (1998). Building baby’s brain: The role of music. Education Oasis. Retrieved October 01, 2004, from http://www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/building_babys_brain.htm

Chandler, C. (2004, Winter). Music and movement wake up the brain. ATPE News, 25(2), 21, 40.Cockerton, T., Moore, S., Norman, D. (1997). Cognitive test performance and background music. Perceptual and Motor

Skills, 85(3 Pt 2),1435-8.Hansen, J. (n.d.) Music enhances reasoning. Retrieved October 1, 2004 from http://

coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/mozarteffect/start.htmJones, M. (2003). The Mozart effect. Retrieved October 6, 2004 from www.indiana.edu/~intell/mozarteffect2.shtmlLessl, R. M. (2004). Background music preference and standardized cognitive test performance. Retrieved October 12,

2004, from http://clearinghouse.mwsc.edu/manuscripts/500.aspRauscher, F., Shaw, G., Ky, K. (1993, October 14). Music and spatial task performance. Nature, 365, 611.Sanberg, K. & Harmon, S. (2003). Effects of popular music on memorization tasks. Journal of Undergraduate Research,

3. Retrieved on October 7, 2004 from http://www.mnsu.edu/research/URC/OnlinePublications/URC2003OnlinePublication/SandbergHarmon.doc

Steele, K.M., Bass, K. E., and Crook, M. D. (1999). The mystery of the Mozart effect: Failure to replicate. Psychological Science, 10(4), 366-369.

Weinberger, N. (1998). The music in our minds. Educational Leadership, 56(3). Retrieved on October 12, 2004 from www.ascd.org/author/el/98/nov/weinberger.html

Weinberger, N. (2000). The Mozart effect: A small part of the big picture. MuSICA Research Notes. Retrieved On October 6, 2004 from http://www.music-research.org/Publications/researchnotes/V7I1W00.html

Weinberger, N. (2004). Music and the brain. Scientific American, 291(5), 89-95.