Music Discussion Forum: Because I have read about how certain types of music are good to listen to while studying, I am interested in the cognitive functions of music. I am also interested in the potential for music to make the brain function better, or at least differently.

Research shows the one of the most important functions of music is improving human perception and cognition. One experiment shows that listening to music, even while doing other things, made the participants "more positive, more alert, and more focused in the present," (Sloboda, O'Neill & Ivaldi, 2001). This finding was especially true among participants who selected their own music (Sloboda, O'Neill & Ivaldi). Thompson (n.d.) notes that music plays a very important role in the psychological development of infants, "at a stage when a range of social and cognitive skills can be explored, tested, and developed," (p. 28). Specific skills that are associated with listening to music during infancy include "the ability to cooperate and coordinate with others, the...

28). All of these skills acquired during infancy are called "protomusical" and "are beneficial for successful development into adulthood," (Thompson, n.d., p. 29). Therefore, research clearly shows that music has an important and positive effect on human cognition.
For music to have an impact on human cognition, it does not need to be a formal or structured type of music or listening experience. In fact, the Sloboda, O'Neill & Ivaldi (2001) research shows that when listeners choose their musical preferences, they exhibited more of the cognitive effects such as greater alertness and being in the present moment. Listening to music in a naturalistic, every day setting represents the underlying impulse to create positive cognitive states. North, Hargreaves, & Hargreaves (2004) note also that situational variables have an impact on the perception of whatever music is being listened to. Music is a part of the overall structure…