Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The relationship between musical training and intellect is controversial.A new hypothesis may help resolve the debate by proposing an explanation for how training in rhythmic skills can improve cognitive abilities in some individuals, but not others.It is often claimed that music education has a positive effect on academic performance.However, the study of this relationship is a growing and controversial area of research that continues to spark debate.We and other "pro-music" researchers think that musical training enhances various cognitive skills (e.g., reading, working memory, word learning).On the other side, "neutral" researchers assert that the correlation between cognition and musical practice is subtle or nonexistent.While the majority of existing evidence supports the pro-music perspective, there is also a considerable number of results aligning with the neutral viewpoint (see, for example, [1] versus [2]).Consequently, the stance researchers take seems to depend more on their beliefs than on clear arguments.It is not helpful that most efforts to understand the link between music training and cognition have sought to support only one point of view rather than acknowledging and attempting to understand the dichotomous nature of the results.Here, we propose a plausible alternative hypothesis that explains the incongruent observations found by both sides of the debate.A good musician must be able to play in tune and accurately keep time.Therefore, when individuals learn to sing or play a musical instrument, they must develop and refine their ability to perceive and perform in at least 2 main musical dimensions: pitch and rhythm.Some researchers have assessed the impact that each of these musical dimensions has on cognition and found that rhythmic, but not melodic, abilities mediate the reported relationship between music and certain cognitive skills, as reading and executive functions [3,4].Beyond the focus on music training, other studies have explored the relationship between general rhythmic abilities and cognition during development, providing evidence that rhythmic skills may boost various cognitive abilities in children, for example, reading readiness in preschoolers and literacy skills in early readers [5][6][7].While few studies have assessed the link in adults, these also indicate a significant correlation between rhythmic abilities and certain cognitive skills, as linguistic abilities (verbal memory, reading, word learning) and attention [8][9][10].
Source: PLoS Biology
Institutions: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, New York University
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,500
OpenAlex ID: W4402266174