The effect of the Mozart Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major on the spatial-temporal reasoning

Abstract

The influence of music on cognitive functioning was investigated with the Mozart effect, i. e. the increase in spatial-temporal reasoning performance immediately after exposure to the Mozart piano sonata K.448. The experiment was performed on the sample of 315 students. Based on the results of the main experiment, two groups) were formed: the enhancement group (N = 30) and the stagnation group (N = 30). Differences between these extreme groups in intellectual, personal, emotional characteristics, and in the learning styles were examined. The Mozart effect on the spatial-temporal reasoning performance was confirmed. The effect was not influenced by gender, musical knowledge, or the study area. It was also not affected by personality and emotional characteristics. On the other hand, there was an influence of the general intelligence factor (the effect was more pronounced in the individuals with lower IQ in comparison with those with higher IQ) and in the learning styles (the enhancement group processed information more on auditory and holistic level, while the stagnation group was more visual and analytical). Our study confirmed that Mozart's music has a positive influence on cognitive functioning, but this influence depends on intellectual capacities, perceptual style, and information processing style