Abstract
Rauscher et al. reported1 that brief exposure to a Mozart piano sonata produces a temporary increase in spatial reasoning scores, amounting to the equivalent of 8-9 IQ points on the Stanford-Binet IQ scale2. Early attempts to confirm this ‘Mozart effect’ were unsuccessful3,4,5,6. Rauscher et al. subsequently restricted their account to an improvement in spatial-temporal reasoning, as measured by the Paper Folding and Cutting task7. We use procedures modelled on the original report to show that there is little evidence for a direct effect of music exposure on reasoning ability.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 52 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.83 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to the full article PDF.
USD 39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L. & Ky, K. N. Nature 365, 611 (1993).
Thorndike, R. L., Hagen, E. P. & Sattler, J. M. The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, 4th edn (Riverside, Chicago, 1986).
Carstens, C. B., Huskins, E. & Hounshell, G. W. Psychol. Rep. 77, 111–114 (1995).
Kenealy, P. & Monsef, A. Psychologist 7, 346 (1994).
Newman, J. et al. Percept. Motor Skills 81, 1379–1387 (1995).
Stough, C., Kerkin, B., Bates, T. & Mangan, G. Personal. Individ. Diff. 17, 695 (1994).
Rauscher, F. H. & Shaw, G. L. Percept. Motor Skills 86, 835–841 (1998).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Steele, K., Bella, S., Peretz, I. et al. Prelude or requiem for the ‘Mozart effect’?. Nature 400, 827 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/23611
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/23611
