Subtopic One

For my first topic I am going to deal with the Mozart theory itself. In the arguments to follow I am going to deal with the more general research that has been done on the effects. Although the Mozart theory is has been scaled back a few notches i still feel it is very important. After all the reason it was built up so much in the first place was simply hype created to sell books and other apparel. The Theory has been proven to increase scores on 3 different spacial reasoning skills. I will go into detail on what those skills are in my rough draft. I will also work to dispel Chambris's view that these affects are merely a result of cognitive arousal.

Pro's and Con's

Pro’s

Mozart Theory

Although in recent years the effect has been limited to only certain special reasoning skills it is still fact that it does improve these areas. Many critics have argued that Rauscher’s original statement that the listening to Mozart’s Sonata has a can increase ones IQ as based on Stanford- Binet 8-9 points is unrealistic they have not taken into account the fact that certain unrelated areas have been taken out of the test to make it more viable to the special reasoning aspect. The leading opponent of this theory Chris E. Chambris claims that it is a mere cognitive arousal of the right hemisphere of the brain( this is were special reasoning skills are as well as many of the centers of the brain the comprehend music) but if this were the case other skills would be awakened due to the fact that the brains process of rhythm lies in the left hemisphere of the brain. Other scientists have also further proven Raucher’s orginal tests that show increased special reasoning skills

The Brain in General

Studies done in 2005 at Standford have shown that musicians brains fire at faster speeds then non-musicians therefore helping ones ability to read and comprehend syllables and do basic math problems. It was scientifically shown that musicians can comprehend syllables better through concrete experimentation. Other studies have shown that kids who take music lessons for a year have their IQ increased on average 3 points. With a little bit of musical training the brains reaction to sound is altered and sound memory is completely changed. Sounds become seen as notes and this sticks with people for their whole life. Alzheimer’s patients who cant even recall there own names can still remember and process songs that they had heard years before due to this fact. Musician’s brains are hyperdevolped in certain areas such as the motor cortex and cerebellum.

Con’s

Mozart Theory

Increased scores on performance tests are simply an effect of cognitive arousal on ones side of the brain. Many believe that the score increases on IQ tests are too insignificant for the Mozart Theory to be viable. Opponents to the theory also claim that it is simply and effect of the mood. If one were to listen to a depressing score they would be in a depressed mood and therefore do worse on the tests but because Mozart’s Sonata is uplifting it puts them in a better mood hence test scores increase.

The Brain in General

The increase shown by music lessons is probably just because lessons are like school and therefore increase students attention making it a mere spillover of intelligence. (On the Pro side- if this were the case why is the increase still apparent in college students who have the same results.)

PS- I didn’t do enough research before writing my “topic” post and I have found out that recently the Mozart Theory has been heavily scaled back so I will be concentrating more heavily on the effects on the brain rather than the Mozart effect itself.

Topic

I chose to argue the positive effects of music on the brain. In recent years many steps have been taken to learn more about how the brain works and what drives it. One of the many things that had an effect on the brain was music. Both playing music and listening to music have been shown to increase scores on spacial reasoning test in young children and in adults. This effect has been deemed the "Motzart Effect". The validity of this theory is being argued by scientists around the world. I chose this topic because music is one of my passions and really interests me. I also have been interested to see if it can really make me smarter after I first heard about this theory a few years back. There is much controversy surrounding this theory becase many scientists believe that simply listening to music can boost your intelligence level. The reasearch question is: What are the positive effects of music on the brain?