Many of us listen to music while we work, thinking that it will help us to concentrate on the task at hand. And in fact, recent research has found that music can have beneficial effects on creativity. When it comes to other areas of performance, however, the impact of background music is more complicated.
The idea that listening to music when working is beneficial to output probably has its roots in the so-called “Mozart effect”. Put simply, this is the finding that spatial rotation performance(空间旋转能力) is increased immediately after listening to the music of Mozart, compared to no sound at all.
How sound affects performance has been the topic of research for over 40 years, and is observed through a phenomenon called the irrelevant sound effect. To study irrelevant sound effect, participants in the research are asked to complete a simple task which requires them to recall a series of numbers or letters in the exact order in which they saw them. The tricky thing is being able to do this while ignoring any background noise.
Two key characteristics of the irrelevant sound effect are required for its observation. First, the task must require the person to use their rehearsal abilities(复述能力), and second, the sound must contain acoustical variation(声学变化). Where the sound does not vary much acoustically, the performance of the task is much closer to that observed in quiet conditions.
The irrelevant sound effect itself comes from attempting to process two sources of ordered information at the same time—one from the task and one from the sound. Unfortunately, only the former is required to successfully perform the recall task, and the effort in ensuring that irrelevant order information from the sound is not processed actually hinders(阻碍) this ability.
A similar conflict is also seen when reading while in the presence of lyrical music. In this situation, the two sources of words—from the task and the sound—are in conflict. The cost is poorer performance of the task in the presence of music with lyrics.
What this all means is that whether having music playing in the background helps or hinders performance depends on the task and on the type of music, and only understanding this relationship will help people maximize their productivity levels.
1. “Mozart effect” is mentioned to ________.| A．explain how music can relax people |
| B．show music can improve performance |
| C．advise people to listen to Mozart music |
| D．stress Mozart music gains wide attention |
| A．have improved their rehearsal ability |
| B．perform better in the quiet conditions |
| C．ignore the background noise successfully |
| D．prefer the music with great sound variation |
| A．support an idea | B．make a contrast |
| C．introduce a topic | D．describe a fact |
| A．Music shapes your life |
| B．Music develops your creativity |
| C．Choose quiet music for your work |
| D．Does music make you concentrate? |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】In a 1993 experiment, researchers reported that college students who listened to a Mozart sonata (奏鸣曲) for a few minutes just before taking a test did better on the test than students listening to relaxation instructions or sitting in silence. Music of Mozart, the investigators concluded, seemed to cause changes in the brain that "warm up" neural (神经) connections, thereby improving thinking. But the gain in performance--widely publicized as the "Mozart effect"--lasted only 15 minutes and proved difficult to repeat. Rather than causing a real change in ability, Mozart seemed to improve excitement and mood, producing better concentration on the test.
Research suggests that to produce lasting gains in intelligence-test scores, involvement must be long-lasting and involve children's active participation. Consequently, Glenn Schellenberg, psychologist from University of Toronto, wondered, can music lessons enhance intelligence?
Schellenberg recruited 132 six-year-old children for formal lessons. First, the children took an intelligence test and were rated for social maturity. Next, the children were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions. Two were music groups; one received piano lessons and the other voice lessons. The third group took drama lessons--a condition that shed light on whether intellectual gains were unique to musical experiences. The fourth group--a no-lessons control--was offered music lessons the following year. After 36 weeks of lessons, the children's intelligence and social maturity were assessed again.
All four groups showed gains in intelligence-test performance, probably because the participants had just entered grade school, which usually leads to an increase in intelligence test scores. But the two music groups consistently gained more than the control groups. Their advantage, though just a few points, extended across many mental abilities, including verbal and spatial skills and speed of thinking. At the same time, only the drama group improved in social maturity.
In sum, active, sustained musical experiences can lead to small increases in intelligence among 6-year-olds. But other enrichment activities, such as reading, science, math, and chess programs, may have similar benefits. All demand that children invest far more time and effort than they would in listening to a Mozart sonata.
1. What did the 1993 experiment show?| A．Mozart effect will change students' ability to study. | B．Music of Mozart improves students' concentration. |
| C．Listening to Mozart will produce lasting gains in test scores. | D．Brief exposure to Mozart results in lifelong intellectual gains. |
| A．To rate the children for social maturity. |
| B．To give 132 six-year-olds formal music lessons. |
| C．To see if music lessons can improve children's intelligence. |
| D．To test the Mozart effect on children's intelligence and social maturity. |
| A．confuse | B．clarify | C．conceal | D．compare |
| A．What is the Mozart Effect? |
| B．Tune Your Brain with Mozart |
| C．Mozart for Newborns: A Bright Beginning |
| D．Can Musical Experiences Enhance Intelligence? |
【推荐2】Pianist Jean-Francois Maljean has released a piano piece to commemorate (纪念) the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which kicked off with a grand opening ceremony held at the National Stadium on Feb 4. Titled for Beijing Olympics, the piano piece, which is about 3 minutes, was asked by the Chinese embassy in Belgium, with the aim of celebrating Chinese New Year and to welcome the Winter Olympics. He also wrote a song to support Wuhan in its fight against COVID (新冠)-19 in 2020 and another song for Xi’an in December.
Born in Verviers, Belgium, Maljean started to learn the piano at age 6. At about 12, the classically trained pianist became interested in a diverse range of musical genres (体裁，类型), especially pop music like that of The Beatles.
He had planned to compose a song and English author Robert Murray, the pianist’s friend, even started to write the lyrics about the Olympic Games. However, due to the short time, Maljean ended up just composing a piano piece, which was later released in the form of a music video featuring images of winter sports. “I think that a piano piece works even better than a song. Since winter sports mainly give an impression of speed, I composed a mostly very fast piece, though there are some slower moments. And it works very well,” says Maljean, 68, who recorded the piece at his own studio in Belgium. Maljean recalls that he visited the capital and spent some time in China, where he was featured in a documentary for Belgian television. He traveled to many places in China, including Changchun in Jilin province, Guizhou province and Shanghai, and landed in Beijing to visit Olympic sites.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．Maljean’s works about China. | B．Maljean’s experiences in China. |
| C．Maljean’s contribution to COVID. | D．Maljean’s general introduction. |
| A．He is a sports enthusiast in skiing. |
| B．His documentary was filmed in Belgian. |
| C．He composed a song for Beijing Olympics. |
| D．He travelled to several Chinese provinces. |
| A．Because he prefers pop music to pop songs. |
| B．Because it has Chinese classical music elements in it. |
| C．Because the lyrics are not in accordance with the music. |
| D．Because it highlights the characteristics of winter sports. |
| A．Simple and logical | B．Generous and patient. |
| C．Talented and caring. | D．Adventurous and sensitive. |
【推荐3】It was around the 4th grade when I started noticing that I didn’t fit in that well with a lot of kids in my grade. While the other girls were starting to wear make-up, style their hair, and only wear fashionable clothing, I stayed the same. At first I didn’t care, but then I started to feel a little worried. I was afraid that the other girls wouldn’t like me. I wanted to be like them, but I really hated that.
After I entered the 5th grade my mom found a local vocal studio. I had always loved to sing, and taking lessons seemed like fun. I was thrown into a brilliant world of music. Something inside me just clicked, and I had finally found where I belonged. Music gave me a place of my own in the world.
Starting voice lessons was the first of many times that music has changed my life. In the 7th grade, I really didn’t fit in at middle school. Being an athlete is what made you popular, and I was not super athletic. Music saved me again. Every day I knew I could come home from school and sing. I would become someone else. I would let the music fill my body and shine its light in the darkest corners. The light gave me strength. I became friends with other people who were into music. Music also gave me courage.
Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “Life without music would be a mistake.” This is true for me. Without music, my life would be a mistake. Maybe I would have found another hobby, but I doubt that it would help and change me the way music did. I know that music had changed my life.
1. What was the problem that faced the author in the 4th grade?| A．No one around her liked her. | B．She had no fashionable clothing. |
| C．She didn’t know how to dress up. | D．She didn’t fit in well with others. |
| A．Worried | B．Disappointed |
| C．Joyful | D．Surprised |
| A．fell in love with sports | B．became very popular at school |
| C．decided to become a great athlete | D．made friends with those who loved music |
| A．By presenting time order. | B．By reasoning. |
| C．By explaining. | D．By listing examples. |
| A．Music Changed Me | B．My Young Life |
| C．I Found Myself | D．My Hobbies |
