The Effects of Different Types of Music on Cognitive Abilities

relationship between music and learning has been an area of interest for researchers for many years. Some studies have shown that music can enhance cognitive abilities (Hall, 1952), and others have shown that it can interfere with complex cognitive processes but not simple processes (Fogelson, 1973). In 2004, researchers conducted a study that presented the effect of Mozart's music on learning. The effect demonstrated that there may be an important relationship between certain types of music (e.g. classical) and learning (Jackson & Tluaka, 2004). One study involving college students showed a correlation between how awake they felt and their preference for music or silence. Results indicated a positive effect while listening to Mozart (Jones, West, & Estell, 2006). This effect has become known as the Mozart Effect, which proposes that listening to Mozart can increase spatial abilities. The proposed increase in the construction of alpha waves may result in positive learning ability. Other studies on the Mozart Effect, however, have produced inconsistent results, often showing no significant increase in cognitive abilities. Although the results have been ambiguous, the relationship between music and learning still remains of interest to many researchers, especially to educators and others involved in the teaching profession. The upsurge in the technology of music playing devices has made a phenomenon out of listening to music while participating in daily activities. Music is a common part of our everyday routine. It is played in the car, stores and supermarkets, professional and medical offices and more. It has also been found that many students study and do homework while listening to music. A study done by Hallam (2002) showed that elementary school students who listened to mood-calming music while completing mathematical problems were able to complete more problems and solve a higher percentage of them correctly than the group who listened to no music at all. Bowman (2007) also came across this in a similar study looking at whether Mozart music enhanced receiving ability; namely, listeing comprehension. He tested whether students learned more in the classroom by listening to Mozart music before class started. Many other studies have shown that easy listening, such as classical or instrumental soundtracks can promote cognitive performance (Wilson, 2006). However, such studies fail to include groups exposed to mainstream popular music. The present paper describes two experiments based on the Mozart Effect. Experiment 1 examined whether classical music had any benefits over pop music …