Unconvincing Evidence That Rats Show a Mozart Effect

F. H. Rauscher, J. D. Robinson, and J. J. Jens (1998) reported that rats learned to complete a T-maze more quickly if they had been reared listening to a Mozart piano sonata. They interpreted this result as a demonstration of a “Mozart effect” in rats. Steele (2003) compared rat and human audiograms...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMusic perception Vol. 23; no. 5; pp. 455 - 458
Main Author Steele, Kenneth M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Berkeley University of California Press 01.07.2006
University of California Press Books Division
Subjects
Audio frequencies
Auditory perception
Classical music
Deafness
Effects
Learning
Mozart effect
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)
Musical intervals
Musical perception
Piano sonatas
Pianos
Rats
Research subjects
Rodents
Sonatas
Sound
New York
United States > US
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Summary:F. H. Rauscher, J. D. Robinson, and J. J. Jens (1998) reported that rats learned to complete a T-maze more quickly if they had been reared listening to a Mozart piano sonata. They interpreted this result as a demonstration of a “Mozart effect” in rats. Steele (2003) compared rat and human audiograms, in the context of piano note frequencies, and suggested that rats were deaf to most of the notes (69%) in the sonata. Steele concluded that the learning differences among the groups were not due to a Mozart effect. Rauscher (2006) argued for the use of a different rat audiogram which would increase the number of notes potentially heard to 57%. This is not a refutation of Steele’s conclusion that rats would not hear major portions of the sonata. These missing portions will deform the music structure heard by the rats. Whatever the rats hear, it is not the sonata written by Mozart. Additional comments are made about the current status of the Mozart-effect literature with human subjects.
ISSN:0730-7829
1533-8312
DOI:10.1525/mp.2006.23.5.455