The “Arousal Effect”: An Alternative Interpretation of the Mozart Effect

Abstract

Previous research suggests that listening to Mozart’s music enhances performance on subsequent tests of spatial ability. One explanation for this result is that Mozart’s music produces a positive arousal state that increases alertness and thus, enhances spatial performance. In this study, we sampled elementary students in order to investigate (1) the presence of the Mozart effect and (2) the possibility that the Mozart effect can be explained by increased levels of arousal. We assigned participants randomly to (1) listen to Mozart (Mozart group), (2) play active games (active group), or (3) sit in silence (control group) prior to completing a spatial abilities task. We expected that (1) both the Mozart and active groups would perform better on the spatial test than the control group and (2) the active group would perform better on the spatial test than the Mozart group. Pre-planned orthogonal contrasts revealed that the Mozart and active groups outperformed the control group but the Mozart and active groups performed similarly. Implications of these data for understanding the Mozart effect and for improving grade school education are discussed.