Impact of the Listening Environment Upon Children's Cognitive Skill Acquisition

• In Event: Tackling Context and Its Influence on Outcomes in Educational Neuroscience

Abstract

This study examined the impact of the listening environment upon children’s productivity. The main question asked was: does the listening environment influence children’s productivity differently as basic math skills increase from beginning stage to automaticity? A total of 196 7- to 12-year-old children (113 F, 83 M) completed an arithmetic task in four different listening environments: (1) energetic music; (2) calm music; (3) white noise; and (4) silence. Results indicate that the listening environment may impact productivity differently as children progress through the developmental stages of acquiring arithmetic skills. Whereas early learners’ scores were unaffected by the listening condition, those who had automatized the skill attended to the sound input, showing significantly stronger scores with energetic music than with silence.

Authors

• Deborah Cockerham, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

• Zhengsi Chang, The University of Texas - Arlington

• Lin Lin, University of North Texas

• Gloria Natividad, University of North Texas