Does Baroque music really enhance learning ability?

I have enjoyed Baroque music for well over 30 years. I find it very relaxing. An internet search of 'baroque music learning' will produce many sites claiming that listening to baroque music will enhance a person's learning (memory?) ability. Is this limited to while listening and/or is there an after effect? I have no idea how to prove or disprove such claims by myself. A test 'group' of one with no control group is not a test and proof of nothing. My textbook study days are long over. Additionally I am hearing impaired, being totally deaf in one ear and with tinnitus in the other. Without personal proof does anybody have experience with this subject. I know nothing about music but have read that 60 beats per minute is most productive. Thank you in advance.

reply to post by oghamxx


I've actually done research on this. The claim that classical music can improve intelligence is false. What certain studies have shown is that certain music can improve spatial reasoning. It is hypothesized that this is caused by an increase in physiological arousal. However, this effect is not caused strictly by classical music. It can be caused by any music that is perceived as upbeat and the listener enjoys. I feel like there were a few other requirements as well. If I can find the paper I wrote I'll post my sources.

reply to post by Xcalibur254


Thank you, I will watch for your post. One small point, intelligence versus learning. I do not see them as identical. A slow learner can still be very intelligent. IQ is not a measure of intelligence but rather the ability to learn. Being able to learn and actually putting that to use are vastly different. Your thoughts?

reply to post by Xcalibur254

There are many theories about the nature of intelligence. The formal definition of intelligence is "the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge." One aspect or kind of intelligence, according Dr. Howard Gardner, founder of the multiple intelligence theory, is spatial intelligence(1). Spatial intelligence is one amongst eight kinds of intelligence. The most common description of spatial intelligence is the ability to be able to recreate one's visual experience and reasoning about shape, measurement, depiction and navigation.

Spatial intelligence might be one of less familiar kind of intelligence, however it has wide implications in many academic and professional disciplines. It is extremely important in disciplines such as mathematics and computer science. Spatial Intelligence also accounts for the thinking process of engineers, architects, designers, sculptors and inventors.

serendip.brynmawr.edu...

Spatial intelligence is the ability to think in three dimensions. Core capacities include mental imagery, spatial reasoning, image manipulation, graphic and artistic skills, and an active imagination. Sailors, pilots, sculptors, painters, and architects all exhibit spatial intelligence. Young adults with this kind of intelligence may be fascinated with mazes or jigsaw puzzles, or spend free time drawing or daydreaming.

The Nine Types of Intelligence

Spatial reasoning is a common part of intelligence tests, pre-employment tests and admission tests to certain educations. Also spatial reasoning is generally regarded as one of the most basic reasoning abilities together with verbal reasoning, logical reasoning, numerical reasoning and abstract reasoning. To have a general idea of ones IQ normally a subject is tested on all these fields and the average score determines his or hers IQ. In technical jobs and educations spatial reasoning is a very important and powerful problem solving tool.

www.fibonicci.com...

Spatial ability, defined by a capacity for mentally generating, rotating, and transforming visual images, is one of the three specific cognitive abilities most important for developing expertise in learning and work settings.

www.scientificamerican.com...

It appears as if spatial reasoning is intelligence.

intelligence is
gitner done
on time and in budget
when there is no one holding your hand

the rest is theory


PS
it seems relaxation and focus
and doing
are the best way to learn

intelligence is figuring it out
and the more that is figured under the more presure
would indicate the more inteligence

except in Poland

Where they say
Better lucky then smart

Here are the references I used. Where possible I have linked to the article:

Carpentier, F. R. & Potter, R. F. (2007). Effects of music on physiological arousal: Explorations into tempo and genre. Media Psychology, 10(3), 339-363.

Husain, G., Thompson, W. F., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2002). Effects of musical tempo and mode on arousal, mood, and spatial abilities. Music Perception, 20(2), 151-171.

Jones, M. H. & Estell, D. B. (2007). Exploring the Mozart effect among high school students. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 1(4), 219-224.

Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L., & Ky, K. N. (1993). Music and spatial task performance. Nature, 365, 611.

Riganello, F., Quintieri, M., Candelieri, A., Conforti, D., & Dolce, G. (2008). Heart rate response to music: An artificial intelligence study on healthy and traumatic brain-injured subjects. Journal of Psychophysiology, 22(4), 166-174.

Roth, E. A. & Smith, K. H. (2008). The Mozart effect: Evidence for the arousal hypothesis. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 107(2), 396-402.

Steele, K. M., Brown, J. D., & Stoecker, J. A. (1999). Failure to confirm the Rauscher and Shaw description of recovery of the Mozart effect. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 88, 843-848.

Steele, K. M., Bella, S. D., Peretz, I., Dunlop, T., Dawe, L. A., et al. (1999). Prelude or requiem for the ’Mozart effect’?. Nature, 400, 827.

Thompson, W. F., Husain, G., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2001). Arousal, mood, and the Mozart effect. Psychological Science, 12(3), 248-251.

reply to post by Jean Paul Zodeaux


While it is a type of intelligence it is not what the Mozart Effect originally claimed to improve. The claim was that by listening to classical music one could dramatically increase their general intelligence and that such increases were permanent. In truth though it slightly improves a specific kind of intelligence and only while the stimulus of music is present.

I don't think music makes you smarter/dumber, it's just that certain music puts you in certains frames of mind that are beneficial for learning (amongst other things).

When I'm listening to baroque/instrumental music I tend to stay significantly calmer while coding. The quality of my code tends to be better than usual and I'm able to plan things out with more clarity. My "time for this thing to go over the balcony" limit tends to be a bit higher as well.

"Nose-bleed" techno and a dark room also helps me immensely when I'm trying to churn code out to meet a deadline...I drink coffee like a mofo, forget about sleep/food, typing speed starts hitting 120wpm+ and it's full steam ahead till the jobs done or my body burns out hehe. It also tends to bring out my not-so-inner racecar driver when I'm going for cruises and I'm the only one in the car.

reply to post by Xcalibur254


I was responding specifically to this remark you made:

I've actually done research on this. The claim that classical music can improve intelligence is false. What certain studies have shown is that certain music can improve spatial reasoning.

If certain music - including baroque music - can improve spatial reasoning then it is not at all false that classical music can improve intelligence. It may remain theoretical, but your assertion was only undermined by the contradiction you followed it with.

reply to post by Jean Paul Zodeaux


I was going with the layman definition of intelligence. To many the word intelligence only implies general intelligence. Most people aren't even aware of that concepts like spatial intelligence or emotional intelligence exist, so instead of needlessly complicating my post by defining these concepts as well I wrote my post as would be accessible to most even though one could say it's technically wrong.

reply to post by Jean Paul Zodeaux


Thank you, very informative. I have a math degree (1965) and spent (wasted?) 40 years in a very successful mainframe computer career yet have never seen myself as having spatial ability, 3 dimensional visualization is difficult at best .

I scored very high on the Watson Glaser critical thinking analysis test. I give it much more credence than my IQ of 184. (That and $1.08 will get me the same cup of McDonald's coffee as a moron.) I am one of those left handed right brain dominant genius'. LOL My theory on IQ is that since the tests are composed by about 85 percent right handed people they put in questions difficult for righties and thus easy for lefties. Let's keep that our secret!

My brain is filled with tons of both valuable and 'useless' facts like the names of the 9 Greek muses though knowing the name of an incoming tide (leap) did win me a drink in a bar room trivia contest. My goal is learning (anything) ability more than becoming (more?) intelligent. Age, 69, has taken it's toll

Originally posted by Xcalibur254
reply to post by Jean Paul Zodeaux

 

I was going with the layman definition of intelligence. To many the word intelligence only implies general intelligence. Most people aren't even aware of that concepts like spatial intelligence or emotional intelligence exist, so instead of needlessly complicating my post by defining these concepts as well I wrote my post as would be accessible to most even though one could say it's technically wrong.

Sure, why "needlessly complicate" your post by pointing out that spatial reasoning is intelligence and instead let's just dumb down intelligence so everybody can understand it. While we're at it, why not dumb down Pi and make it 3.0? Who needs the needless complication 3.14?

reply to post by Jean Paul Zodeaux

I think you are being a bit harsh condemning a layman definition. Xcaliber does not know my intellectual capacity and IMO is safe in 'talking down' to any stranger. I take no offense as my own career was overflowing with my trying to not cast pearls before swine.

My quest is for knowledge and anything which will assist in obtaining it. I have found the posts of both of you helpful. I suspect I would flunk any spatial oriented test and will not attempt to improve upon that area. I excel at logic, analysis and synthesis, and my intuition has served me very well. Being from the old school of printed material the internet (since the late 80's) has proven to be overwhelming. It seems that one topic/site leads to another and my unread bookmarks have gotten out of control. So much to learn and so little time.

Thank you again.

In my background even 3.14 is dumbed down! It's all relative!

reply to post by Jean Paul Zodeaux


It's called writing to your audience. Sure I could have taken the time to provide operational definitions for general intelligence and spatial intelligence, but at the end of the day it's not going to change what most people get from my response. Either way I wrote it people would come away with the same message. Music does not make you smarter (using the common meaning of smarter, I.E. having a higher general intelligence) but it may help you work a maze while you're listening to it. So why bring up topics that in no way increase one's understanding of the topic at end and can in fact serve to diminish understanding by introducing unfamiliar concepts?

what has been proven is learning to play an instrument increases the thickness of your corpus callosum in the brain, which allows communications to be more quickly sent between hemispheres. learning to play an instrument is one of the few things that has been proven to consistantly increase iq by a moderate amount.

what you're talking about is commonly called "the mozart effect". a short term increase is spatial-temporal reasoning skills after listening to up beat classical music that generally lasts 10-15 minutes.

the effect has even been documented in rats, which suggests that appreciation of the music has nothing to do with the effect.
this is a good source of information on what you seek.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

reply to post by oghamxx

I think you are being a bit harsh condemning a layman definition. Xcaliber does not know my intellectual capacity and IMO is safe in 'talking down' to any stranger. I take no offense as my own career was overflowing with my trying to not cast pearls before swine.

it was sarcasm - but it wasn't harsh - and it wasn't a condemnation

in my opinion - humor is a very good teaching tool - even when the humor goes unrecognized or unappreciated

which brings me to: never dumb things down

it helps nobody - nohow

assume that people who want to learn will ask questions

I always ask questions - I gots lots to learn

:-)

edit to add: oink