The Mozart Effect

• • Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L.,
    & Ky, K. N. (1993). Music and spatial task performance. Nature,
    365. 6447: 611. (October 14, 1993). (ProQuest Document ID
    76004658).

  State the research hypothesis in your own words.
  Identify the independent and dependent variables.

• What were some variables the researchers controlled in
  their study? Why was this necessary?
• What evidence do the researchers offer as a test of
  their hypothesis? Is this evidence empirical (observable)? Is it valid?
• What explanation do the researchers offer for their
  findings? Does the evidence justify this explanation?

Jenkins, J.S. (2001). The Mozart effect. Journal
of the Royal Society of Medicine, 94, 170-172.

Based on your readings, respond to
the following:

• Do you think there is any merit in the study (Rauscher,
  Shaw, & Ky, 1993)? Give three reasons for your position.
• Does the study take individual differences in spatial
  ability into account? Explain your answer.
• What are two ways in which the experiment could be
  modified to make the results more generalizable?