Comparison of Pop and Empirical Psychology Articles - Paper Example

Psychologists differ on whether playing Mozart music to infants enhances their intelligence. While some argue that classical music stimulates a babys IQ, and enhances creativity later in life, others dismiss the connection between musical tunes and cognitive skills. Given that there is plenty of literature on this issue, the purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the merits of pop and empirical psychology articles. Although music has short-term impacts on the brain, empirical studies show that playing classical music to babies does not have any significant effect on intelligence.

Merit of a Pop Psychology Article

Dr. Laura Riley (2015), an influential contributor to the Parents Magazine opines that playing Mozart music babies can stimulate their brain activity. The primary intention of Laura Rileys article is to address a query on whether classical music impacts infants intelligence and creativity. The article investigates the issue by incorporating different perspectives ranging from society beliefs to scientific studies on animals and human beings. Researchers found that playing classical music to rats before and after birth enhanced their levels of intelligence. These mice found their way out of a maze more quickly than their counterparts. In human studies, proponents of the Mozart Effect (ME) state that classical music facilitates the development of sophisticated neural channels that enable the brain to process information. Babies who listened to Mozart Music before and after birth had higher heart rates and stayed awake for long. Although Dr. Laura Riley does not include the implications of this reasoning perspective, she states that whether or not to play Mozart music to a baby is entirely a personal choice, since some caregivers do not like classical music. By declaring that the Mozart Effect is solely based on personal beliefs and preferences, Dr. Laura Riley gives the audience the freedom to choose what they prefer.

Merit of an Empirical Psychology Article

Just like in pop psychology, there are numerous of empirical studies that explore the impacts of Mozart music on babies physical and cognitive development. However, empirical studies dismiss the Mozart Effect on intelligence. In the article, Mozart Effect- Shmozart Effect: A Meta-Analysis, Pitsching, Voracek, and Formann (2010) debunk the myth of Mozart Effect through thorough empirical studies. The primary issue of this article is that people misinterpret the calmness of classical music as abilities to enhance intelligence. As the authors note, proponents of the Mozart Effect base their arguments on personal beliefs and isolated social cases. This article investigates diverse points of view and assumptions through the analysis of 40 independent studies with a total of over 3,000 participants. Before qualifying for review, these articles were to have three characteristics: include a spatial ability, plenty statistical information, and a task-based exercise for the participants. Notably, these empirical studies show that playing Mozart music to a baby does not have any substantial impacts on intelligence. The evidence provided to support this issue is that listening to music improves short-term memory; it does not have any significant effect on IQ in the long term. While discussing the consequences and implications of this reasoning, the authors state that people should play music with the intent of calming down their babies but not with the expectation of improving their intelligence levels. Unlike pop psychology, empirical articles debunk the Mozart Effect on intelligence. Through this information, the audience recognizes that music is a pleasurable phenomenon to a child, but it does not necessarily boost IQ levels.

Conclusion

The Mozart Effect on babys intelligence levels is a controversial topic in psychology. A compare and contrast analysis between pop and empirical psychology article shows that the merit of the former is lower than of the latter. In other words, pop psychologys emphasis on Mozart Effect is based on personal beliefs and preferences. On the contrary, empirical psychology dismisses the connection between classical music and cognitive development. Although music triggers pleasure and enhances short-term memory, Mozart music does not improve intelligence in the long term.

References

Pietschnig, J., Voracek, M., & Formann, A. K. (2010). Mozart effectShmozart effect: A meta-analysis. Intelligence, 38(3), 314-323.

Riley, L. (2015). Q & A: Should I Play Mozart For My Baby: Parents Magazine. Retrieved from < http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/38/should-i-play-mozart-for-baby/>