In a comparison of average pre-test-and post-test normed scores by treatment, the
second graders improved their scores modestly for both the Mozart and Shostakovich
groups but experienced a significant improvement in the silence group. This indicated
that while there is improvement in both of the music groups, the students at this grade
level may have been distracted by the musical selections and performed much better after
an equal period of silence. The third graders scored highest in the Mozart group, but also
showed moderate increases in both the Shostakovich and silence groups.
The fourth and fifth graders showed slight improvements in the Mozart and
silence groups but scored highest in the Shostakovich groups, indicating that the students
were aroused by the Shostakovich selection. In looking at improvements in scores
among the three treatment groups, the researcher found that the second graders were
distracted by the music, but that the third grader's scores improved following Mozart,
(offering support for the Mozart Effect and Trion theory). The fourth and fifth graders
improved best following Shostakovich, indicating support for the Cognitive Arousal
Theory.