Could a mother’s womb be her unborn child’s first concert hall? This literature review explores the effects of prenatal exposure to music and the effect it may have on postnatal development. In accordance with moral standards, parents should strive to provide the best possible environment for their children. If findings are true, regarding the ability for fetuses to recognize and discern different auditory frequencies in the prenatal environment, then the importance of determining its effect in the prenatal and postnatal world is crucial to ensuring the future generation’s intelligence. Literature findings lead me to conclude that though there are magnitudes of studies performed, there is still much to learn about the effects of prenatal exposure to music.
Postnatal Effects of Prenatal Music
In accordance with moral standards, parents should strive to provide the best possible environment for their children. This includes the precious stage of development during the prenatal period. Obtaining medical care during pregnancy is vital to ensuring the best possible outcome for both mom and baby; however, soon-to-be mothers may elect to participate in additional, nontraditional therapies, with the hopes of improving their unborn child’s life after birth. One interesting theory that has had various research studies conducted, is fetal exposure to music and the effect, if any, that it has on the child’s life and development after birth. So far, there is no credible research that has proven that exposing fetus’ to music during pregnancy is harmful (Lai, 2011).
The human fetus goes through numerous amounts of biological and physiological changes during the prenatal period. Though the fetus’ ears begin to form in the first fe...
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...Perinatal Stress Reduction. Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health, 12(1), 19-29. Retrieved January 25, 2012, from http://dreamhawk.com/pregnancy-childbirth/music-and-perinatal-stress-reduction/
Shelter, D. J. (1985). Prelude to a Musical Life: Prenatal Music Experiences. Music Educators Journal, 71(7), 26-27. Retrieved January 20, 2012, from National Association for Music Education Web site: http://www.menc.org/resources/view/from-heartbeat-to-steady-beat-music-and-the-unborn-child
Weinberger, N. M. (1999). Lessons of the Music Womb. Musica, 6(1). Retrieved January 18, 2012, from MuSICA Web site: http://www.musica.uci.edu/mrn/V6I1W99.html#womb
Wilkin, P. E. (1993). Prenatal and Postnatal Responses to Music and Sound Stimuli: A clinical report. In T. Blum (Ed.), Prenatal perception, learning, and bonding (pp. 307-29). Berlin: Leonardo Publishers.
Schetter, C. (2009). Stress Processes in Pregnancy and Preterm Birth. Current Directions In Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell), 18(4), 205-209. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01637.x
Lange, A. (2011). Prenatal maternal stress and the developing fetus and infant: A review of animal models as related to human research. Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy, 10, 326-340.
Prenatal brain development is not usually the first topic on a pregnant woman’s mind, if it crosses her mind at all! Many women do not know what adverse effects certain circumstances can have on a child’s development. The most obvious deterrent of brain development would be a physical injury to the child. If any portion of the child’s brain is damaged during pregnancy, the effects will almost certainly be long term. Most pregnant women successfully take the necessary steps to avoid physically damaging the child’s brain. Perhaps even scarier is the thought that continuous exposure to stress can also permanently damage the brain development of a child that has yet to be born. The US National Library of Medicine states that in humans and animals, prolonged exposure to stress that can be controlled by the mother may result in abnormal behavioral, cognitive, and psychosocial outcomes. It is important for mothers to remember that they are no longer taking care of only themselves. Though unborn, there is a lot of damage that can be ...
Music and the Brain: Processing and Responding (A General Overview). For any individual who either avidly listens to or performs music, it is understood that many melodies have amazing effects on both our emotions and our perception. To address the effects of music on the brain, it seems most logical to initially map the auditory and neural pathways of sound. In the case of humans, the mechanism responsible for receiving and transmitting sound to the brain is the ears.
There have been many studies done to find how music influences a child’s development. The College Entrance Examination Board discovered that students who took music appreciation classes had higher verbal and math scores than those who did not take the classes. (Stephens 2003) The U.S. Department of Education found that in 25,000 secondary schools, students who were highly involved in the music program did much better in math than any other students. (Stephens 2003) These studies and more have found that involvement in music increases chi...
The ear houses some of the most sensitive organs in the body. The physics of sound is well understood, while the mechanics of how the inner ear translates sound waves into neurotransmitters that then communicate to the brain is still incomplete. Because the vestibular labyrinth and the auditory structure are formed very early in the development of the fetus and the fluid pressure contained within both of them is mutually dependant, a disorder in one of the two reciprocating structures affects the (2).
As children, we are exposed to many new and intriguing elements. One of those new items of exploration is the element of music. When children are brought home from the hospital and are crying without end, mothers and fathers sing to them in order to calm them down. Before putting them down to sleep, a lullaby is a common practice of parents. Songs are also very evident in children’s television shows, movies, and even books that have buttons that make music while reading the book. At a young age music enters into the grasp of children and as they grow and mature music has an even bigger impact on their life. Three pieces of music that are examples of childhood music are “Brahms’ Lullaby,” “Tse Tse Kule,” and “Nobody’s Perfect.”
Hodges, A. L., & Wilson, L. L. (2010). Preterm infants' responses to music: An integrative literature review. Southern Online Journal of Nursing Research, 10(3), 8p. Retrieved from http://proxy.samuelmerritt.edu:2268/ehost/detail?vid=8&sid=a8d019e7-49df-4d8e-a6b1-8774f2f36327%40sessionmgr4002&hid=4207&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rzh&AN=2010780427
The correlation between music and individuals is a very heavily researched topic. This literature review will critically evaluate the claim made by Don Campbell (1997, p.24) that ‘playing Mozart makes babies smarter’. This review will look at the history of the Mozart effect and also look at a range of sources that support and also go against the claim that the Mozart effect makes babies smarter. These claims will be analysed through the three main measurements in relation the Mozart effect these are spatial reasoning, arousal and also mood.
Since this study has yet to be thoroughly examined and replicated, it is hard to give weight to the argument. The fact that the study does not involve infant participants also contributes to the issue that studies involving babies are lacking, and thus it is difficult to support the theory that babies are able to be “made smarter” by the effects of Mozart’s music.
Neuronal plasticity found in infants, and the learning process has been of keen interest to neurobiologists for some time. How does the brain develop and attain the skills we need as one grows is fascinating. It is commonly understood that a crying infant can only be consoled by his/her mother, and is able to recognize her voice over the voice of a stranger. A number of studies have also been done on the distinct reaction of infants to sounds of their own language versus a foreign language, familiar melodies or fragments of stories they may have heard repeatedly during the fetus stage (Partanen et. al, 2013). However, these studies relied heavily on the infant’s reactions, which bared little credibility (Skwarecki, 2013). One research team developed a technique to show that infants actually develop memory of the sounds they hear while in the womb, and are able to recognize the similar sounds at the time of birth. The team was able to trace changes in brain activity in new born infants, and thus provided quantitative evidence that memory forms before birth (Partanen et. al, 2013). This paper begins by examining the literature that identifies associations between MMR used as a tool to measure auditory input and Exposure to Psuedoword and how its varations create memory traces.
UCP, . "Benefits of Music for Children with Special Needs: Tips for Parents and Educators." United Cerebral Palsy. N.p., 2012. Web. 12 Jan 2012.
For some woman being pregnant can prove to be a surreal experience. Making the connection with the unborn baby can assist in strengthen the bond that one share with the infant (Blumenthal 1). Exposing the infant to music allows the mother to share her musical preferences and bond with the
Zhao, F., Manchaiah, V.K.C., French, D., & Price, S.M. (2010) Music exposure and hearing disorders: An overview. International Journal of Audiology, 49 (1), 54-64. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.
Music therapy is a psychotherapeutic treatment most commonly used to help children with developmental disabilities. Music as a therapy has been around longer than one might think and "recognized for centuries." (Bunt 179) Many years before that, music was used as a less scientific means of healing by medicine men (Hadley 215). By using music therapy directly, or indirectly, as a developmental aid, many people can be positively effected. When many people can use the treatment, it has to be available in many different locations. More than any other age group, children benefit most.