Does listening to Mozart help 9th graders memorize phone

numbers better?

By Kristin Morder (: Grade 9 Bellwood-Antis High School

Problem

Does listening to Mozart help 9th graders memorize phone numbers better?

Mozart Effect

• Any other composers tested?

Hypothesis

Listening to Mozart does help 9th graders memorize phone numbers better.

How did I do it?

I took ten ninth grade honors class students and gathered them up in a room and put them through five tests. They had to memorize phone numbers for 10-20 minutes while listening or not listening to music.

Experimental Design

• Experimental Variable: classical music composers

• Experimental Groups: Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and Tchaikovsky

• Control Group: Kids studying phone numbers, not listening to music.

Experimental Procedure-Preparing the tests

• Make 50 sheets for the test *10 numbers each and they all need to be different*

• Example of sheet

Experimental Procedure-Studying

• Gather 9th graders together (instruct subjects not to communicate at all during studying or test)

• For first trial, kids will listen to Mozart. Have song at comfortable level, for all to hear well.

• For each study period, allow them 10 minutes.

Experimental Procedure-Taking the Test

• Turn off music before taking exam • Allow them 15 minutes to take exam• The people had to write down as many numbers as they

remembered in any order

Experimental Procedure-Additional Trials

• giving a 15 minute break• Repeat using different numbers and music• Repeat with no music playing, this is my control group

Experimental Procedure-Scoring Tests

• Correct sheets by how many numbers they got right– Max score = 10– Order didn’t matter– two numbers wrong – Switch a close pair of numbers

Control Variables

• Control Variables: 01. Same grade of children (9th graders)

02. Same intellectual level03. 15 minutes to study04. Different numbers per child (no cheating!)05. 15 minutes to take test (they can turn it in when they are done)06. Same songs per musician07. Test at least 10 9th graders

Experimental Design (Control Variables)

08. Make sure the kids have no distractions (away from each other, have gone to the bathroom, make sure they are not thirsty)09. Make sure they are well-rested and NOT falling asleep10. Four tests (one for each musician) then one for control

Phone # Control Mozart Beethoven Bach Tchaikovsky

1 No Yes No Yes Yes

2 No No No No No

3 No Yes No No No

4 No Yes No No No

5 No No No Yes No

6 No No No No No

7 No No No No No

8 No No No No No

9 No No Yes No Yes

10 Yes Yes Yes No No

Sample Raw Data for Subject #1

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10

Control 1 3 2 7 3 3 1 4 2 3

Mozart 4 2 3 6 5 4 2 4 4 3

Beethoven 2 3 2 5 2 1 1 1 1 2

Bach 2 1 1 3 5 1 0 1 1 1

Tchaikovsky 2 3 1 4 3 1 1 1 1 1

Scores on Test

Number of Correct

Control Mozart Beethoven Bach TchaikovskyAverage 2.9 3.7 2 1.6 1.9Standard Deviation 1.7 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.1

Data Summary

Control Mozart Beethoven Bach Tchaikovsky0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

Data Averages

Aver

age

Scor

e Co

rrec

t

Conclusion

I reject my hypothesis that Mozart helps 9th graders

Further Research

Thanks for Listening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for watching and you may now ask questions!

Abstract

• Problem, hypothesis, conslusiuon

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S100

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

ControlMozartBeethovenBachTchaikovsky

S6 S7 S8 S9 S100

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

ControlMozartBeethovenBachTchaikovsky

Data Totals