A Literary Review: The Impact and Role Music Plays on Learning Jennifer Giles Argosy University, Seattle December 2010

The purpose of my paper was to understand the effects music has on a person’s learning capabilities including neural activity and interaction with personality traits. Thesis statement

Why is music Important? Sets the tone or energy of the environment. Elicits emotions. Sets the tone or energy of the environment. Activates creative and learning structures in the brain. How does it elicit emotions: Memories? Neural impulses? How does it change moods: sets the tone through memories? neural impulses? Can music improve learning and cognition? Creativity?

Where does music affect neural activity? Jentschke and Koelsch (2010) found that when the brain is processing melodies it activates neural activity in the frontal lobe first. Single melodies stop there, however, harmonized melodies continue to process throughout the rest of the brain. The frontal lobe is where most of the dopamine-sensitive neurons associated with reward, attention, long-term memory, planning and drive are found (Hock, 2009). What does this mean? Who can benefit from this information? Depression, learning abilities, setting the mood and tone of the room when taking a test, creating a project, changing perspective.

Music affects cognitive factors in the human brain. Some factors differ by lateralization: Hoch and Tillman’s (2010) research supports the split –brained musical function of the brain where the left side of the brain hears tones, syllables and the right side hears rhythm and melodies. Other factors differ by types of sound: Autti et al.’s (2010) research found that frequency of the MMNm response was significantly more increased through audio, specifically books on tape and then music. Hoch and Tillman’s research: eight chord sequences & eight chord syllable sequences to one ear simultaneously and then asked to repeat the last chord syllable and chord. Autti et al.: some type of audio stimulation helps recovery. studied the recovery of victims after a middle cerebral artery stroke (MCA) by testing their magnetic MMNm response to sound frequency and duration.

Can Music Give Insight to Personality? Courvoisier and Haller’s (2010) article looked at 158 visual art students, 136 music students, 309 psychology students and tested them on personality and thinking style. Results: Visual art/music students showed greater conscientious awareness than psychology students. Music students were more extraverted and agreeable than visual art students and more inclined to heuristic thinking than psychology students. Is music helpful in other areas of learning such as social learning? Is there personality preference related to music selection? Does laterization play a role? Does Courvoisier and Haller (2010) findings exemplifies the neural science that is shown in the articles by Hoch and Tillmann’s (2010) findings on lateralization?

Can Music Give Insight to Personality? Continued… Delsing et al. (2007) used the Big Five Personality test that categorizes personalities; openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism as a reference to personality. Then asked tested teenagers to note music preferences. Results: Rock =generally more open to expression and less consciously aware as the other adolescents. Elite =generally open to expression, more agreeable, and scored high on conscientiousness and scored low on emotional stability Urban and Pop/dance =scored high on extraversion and agreeableness.

Can communication and relationships benefit from music based research? Delsing et al. (2007) found a correlation between personality type and music selection among adolescents. This information and knowledge are insightful tools that aide in the possibility of a connection between the adolescent and a caregiver , coach or teacher to work off of. Would mentor programs be enhanced if matching a mentor to a child was based on music selection? These findings may lead to more research on ways to connect with adolescents on a learning and communication level.

Can Education Benefit from an Enhanced Music Curriculum? When government budget cuts are proposed music is one of the first studies to be dropped from classrooms Lassahn (2009). Studying the neural activity of the brain when listening to music can teach people where in our development does music affect them the most? What emotions are elicited and at what emotional level do people perform better? Do men prefer different tones and melodies than women when performing tasks such as test taking or painting? These cut backs may short change students from diverse aspects of learning and cognition exercises. The benefits of music my proceed school level and continue to educate adults on associations of personality and communication styles which will enhance relationships and further learning.

References Autti, T., Erikkila, J., Forsblom, A., Hietanenn, M., Laine, M., Laitinen, S., Mikkonen, M., Peretz, I., Pihko, E., Sarkamo, T., Silvennoinen, H. M., Soinjila, S., & Tervaniemi, M. (2010). Music and speech listening enhance the recovery of early sensory processing after stroke. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 22, 2716-2727. Retrieved from EBSCO. Courvoisier, D. S., & Haller, C. S. (2010). Personality and thinking style in different creative domains. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 4, 3149-160. Retrieved from Pro Quest. Delsing, M. J. M. H., Engels, R. C. M. E., Meeus, W. H. J., & Ter Bogt, T.R. M. (2007). Adolescents’ music preferences and personality characteristics. European Journal of Personality, 22. Retrieved from ProQuest.

References Continued… Hoch, L., & Tillmann, B. (2010). Laterality effects for musical structure processing: a dichotic listening study. Neuropsychology, 24, 661-666. Retrieved from Pro Quest. Hock, R. R., Zimbardo, G., & Zimbardo, P. G. (2009). An overview of psychology: It’s past, present and future. New York, NY: Custom Publishing. Delsing, M. J. M. H., Engels, R. C. M. E., Meeus, W. H. J., & Ter Bogt, T.R. M. (2007). Adolescents’ music preferences and personality characteristics. European Journal of Personality, 22. Retrieved from ProQuest. Lassahn, J. (2009). Massive cutbacks in arts funding by US companies, government. Retrieved from http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/feb2009/cuts-f17.shtml.