Beyond Language

Several years ago, newspapers screamed out headlines announcing that playing Mozart to infants was shown to improve their performance on cognitive tasks (Rauscher, Shaw, & Ky, 1993). This magic bullet was pounced on with almost the enthusiasm that would be expected to accompany such windfalls as a map leading straight to the Fountain of Youth. It was even reported that hospitals were providing Mozart tapes to new mothers, along with samples of diapers and infant formula. The subsequent debunking and advised caution were displayed less prominently in the press (Nantais & Schellenberg, 1999). The idea that a simple and relatively common activity could significantly alter the intelligence of our children tapped into something deeply motivating in our middle-class psyches.