School of Music, Center for Music Education Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Educational and Psychological Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2022 Oct;1516(1):95-105. doi: 10.1111/nyas.14857. Epub 2022 Jul 27.
Music training programs have shown mixed results on children's executive functions. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a 10-week multimodal music program with vocal development, bimanual coordination, and musical improvisation, on children's executive functions. We hypothesized that a 10-week music program would enhance executive functions in working memory in 4- to 6-year-old children. Eighty-four children were randomly assigned to a multimodal music program, an active control Lego program, or no treatment control condition (i.e., randomized controlled design). All children completed measures of music aptitude, music achievement, and executive functions (i.e., EF Touch) pre- and post-training. Results revealed enhanced pitch accuracy and working memory for children in the music training group as compared to the other conditions. Children in the Lego condition demonstrated significant enhancements of spatial working memory. Tonal music aptitude significantly predicted performance on measures of working memory. Contributions to the literature include the randomized controlled design, group multimodal music program appropriate for 4- to 6-year-old children, and the use of executive function measures sensitive to individual differences.
音乐训练计划对儿童的执行功能的影响结果不一。本研究旨在评估为期 10 周的多模态音乐课程（包括声乐发展、双手协调和即兴创作）对儿童执行功能的影响。我们假设，10 周的音乐课程将提高 4 至 6 岁儿童的工作记忆中的执行功能。84 名儿童被随机分配到多模态音乐课程、主动控制乐高课程或无治疗对照组（即随机对照设计）。所有儿童在培训前后都完成了音乐能力、音乐成就和执行功能（即 EF Touch）的测量。结果表明，与其他条件相比，音乐训练组的儿童在音高准确性和工作记忆方面有显著提高。乐高组的儿童在空间工作记忆方面表现出显著提高。音高音乐能力显著预测了工作记忆测量的表现。本研究的贡献包括随机对照设计、适合 4 至 6 岁儿童的分组多模态音乐课程，以及使用对个体差异敏感的执行功能测量。
