With respect to the alternative explanations of why
music has an influence on brain functioning, the results
of the present study support Rauscher et al.’s (1993) priming
explanation. The EEG data provided no indicator
pointing to an increased level of arousal (degree of physiological
activation) in the MM group. By contrast, respondents
in the MM group displayed a decreased level of
alertness, nevertheless they significantly outperformed
respondents of the CG and BM groups.