Cognition

The Mozart Effect: Does Listening to Mozart Really Improve Cognition?

Mozart, the master of true classical music who wrote his first compositions at the age of 6 and continued to make himself immortal with his brilliant compositions that perfectly interweave the complex with the elegant.Writing this while listening to Piano Concerto no. 21, I have to say that I do appreciate my occasional dose of baroque music every now and then, especially when writing or focusing on tasks that require a decent amount of concentration.Now you might not really be that much into classical music, but it turns out there is more to Mozart's' compositions than just some pianos and violins being played in harmonious sequence; apparently Mozart's' music can serve as a brain supplement and improve your brain performance!This phenomenon is actually labeled the 'Mozart effect', and was quite the social hype in the '90s. Looking at some scientific research it can be observed that scientists discovered that after listening to Mozart's sonatas, subjects experienced a temporary increase in spatial intelligence, related to problem solving.This realization led to the wide promotion of Mozart's music as the new magic pill leading to infinite intelligence, with a potential rise in IQ of up to 50%! His music was even being promoted to cure depressions, gain infinite wealth and save your marriage, with albums labeled 'Mozart Vol. 3 - Boost Your Confidence' popping up everywhere. Now wild claims like these might be a bit over the top, as I'm still waiting for my infinite wealth, but the concept behind these claims remains interesting nonetheless!Even wider implications back in 90's stated that every day-care facility in some states in the USA should play Mozart for a certain time each day to improve the kids' mental performance. It never got that far though, as the Mozart effect never got completely accepted by the scientific community. Different research gave different results, and where one team found that Mozart's pieces lowered the change on epilepsy, another team concluded that the effects could merely be ascribed to 'enjoyment arousal'. True scientific consensus about the possible nature of the Mozart effect has thus never been achieved.Whatever the true scientific mechanisms are (if there are any) responsible for the various results, fact remains that the Mozart effect is an interesting phenomenon and definitely something you should check out for yourself in order to discover any potential positive effects, such as enhanced concentration.Fortunately, there is still the sheer brilliance of Mozart's plays itself to appreciate if the Mozart effect turns out to be a hoax. … Read more

Cognition, Emotion and Motivation

The article "Cognitive-behavior modification and organizational culture" shows how organizational culture is the focus and barrier to improving organizational performance (Boan, 2006). A research design examining organizational culture in promoting healthcare improvement develops an intervention to enhance organizational teams. The intervention is a training program based on cognitive psychology models of organizational culture.Cognitive-behavior modification or CBM integrates the technology of behaviorism, social learning theories and cognitive psychology. CBM focuses on a discourse and a narrative. In CBM, change starts with observing behavior through awareness and attention. This change...