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Fact Versus Fiction: The "Mozart Effect" The "Mozart Effect" comes under fire by two researchers from Appalachian State University. The main point to be aware of here is that research has shown the link between ACTIVE MUSIC MAKING, not passive listening on intelligence and improved performance on standardized tests. This MAJOR difference will be pointed out in the coming weeks as Dr. Gordon Shaw launches a publicity tour for his new book "Keeping Mozart in Mind" published by Academic Press. (see story below) Dr. Norman Weinberger, Executive Director of the International Foundation for Music Research responded to the Appalachian State University study. He replied, "Many studies have failed to replicate the Shaw/Rauscher original Mozart Effect of passive listening. Fran Rauscher wrote an article explaining the failures... there have also been some successes. I would be extremely cautious about arguing that passive listening to music briefly produces an 'increase in IQ' (even transiently). The major transfer effects of music are likely to come from active playing of music and in continual music education experiences." ACTIVE MUSIC MAKING, NOT PASSIVE LISTENING is the key point! That is not to say that there isn't a benefit to passive listening, just that studies have been focused on active participation. We will continue to keep you posted on the debate. (Quelle: International Foundation for Music Research) In der jüngsten Ausgabe von "Nature" (No. 400 vom 26.August 1999, S. 826 - 828) wird das Problem noch einmal aufgegriffen (Prelude or requiem for the "Mozart effect"?). C.F.Chabris und K.M.Steele, S.D.Bella, I.Peretz et al. haben erneut die Evidenz des seinerzeit von G.Shaw und F.Rauscher festgestellten Effekts in unabhängigen Studien überprüft. Ihr Fazit: "There is little evidence for a direct effect of music exposure on reasoning ability" (Nature 400.1999, 827). Kommt der Mozart-Effekt "under fire"? Es zeigt sich vielmehr ein äußerst problematischer Effekt der Kommerzialisierung wissenschaftlicher Forschung. Shaw und Rauscher hatten in einem methodisch sauberen Experiment nachgewiesen, daß das Musikhören einer Mozart-Sonate verglichen mit Minimal Music oder Stille eine signifikante Verbesserung des räumlichen Vorstellungsvermögens ergaben, wie es in den Papierfalt-Aufgaben des Stanfort-Binet Intelligenztests gemessen wird. Spätere Tierversuche Rauschers et al. bestätigten die neurophysiologischen Grundlagen dafür. Was machte die Presse daraus? Mozart verbessere die Intelligenz, erhöhe den IQ! Welch ein Unsinn, den die beiden Forscher in ihrer Studie (Listening to Mozart enhances spatial-temporal reasoning, Neuroscience Letters 185(1995), S. 44 - 47) so nie behauptet haben. Dennoch wird der Mozart-Effekt weiter kommerzialisiert (siehe die Internet Seite www.mozarteffect.com); schürt Shaws M.I.N.D.(Music Intelligence Neural Development) Institut (www.MINDinst.org/MIND) aber auch noch diese Erwartungen!
In diesem Zusammenhang steht auch die folgende Buchankündigung: Keeping Mozart
In Mind The book is accompanied by a CD-Rom that includes Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (K.448) and a demonstration of S.T.A.R. (Spatial-Temporal Animation Reasoning), an interactive software program developed by Matthew Peterson. The software was used in combination with piano lessons in a recent study where elementary children showed significant improvement in the ability to learn difficult math concepts. (Quelle: American Music Conference) "Keeping Mozart in Mind" erscheint im September 1999. ISBN: 0-12-639290-0. - US $ 49.95.
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