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THE RELATIONSHIP OF MUSICAL PERCEPTION AND THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AMONG 7-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN

Mára Janurik,Norbert Szabó,Krisztián Józsa

Published 2019 in EDULEARN19 Proceedings

ABSTRACT

There is ample research to support that learning music has a positive effect on cognitive development and school success. In recent years, the focus of the research has shifted to exploring the relationship between music training and the executive functions (which main dimensions are working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility). As a result, there is evidence to confirm that music learning has a positive effect on the development of the executive functions. However, no empirical data is available about the relationship of simple musical activities and the executive functions. From an educational point of view, it would be essential to know the strength of the relationship between the development of the executive functions and the level of development of the various musical skills, but no research has examined it before. This research study is aimed at exploring the relationship of musical perception and the executive function at the beginning of formal education. Participants were 131 first-grade students from 6 different classes. Their average age was 7 years and 2 months. 51% of the participants were boys. Children were educated in line with the Hungarian National Core Curriculum. Tests were administered via tablets as Android applications. The executive function was measured with the FOCUS test. Significant correlation was found between the executive function and musical perception (r=.29, p=.002). The correlation of pitch perception and the executive function (r=.19, p=.03) and the correlation of time perception and the executive function (r=.25, p=.007) were also found to be significant. No significant difference was found between the strength of the correlations. The research provides evidence that musical perception is linked to the development of the executive function in children. Results suggest that even less complex musical activities used in the first year of formal education may contribute to the development of the executive function. However, more research is needed to confirm the role of transfer.

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