Jennifer Giles
Argosy University, Seattle
December 2010
The purpose of my paper was to
understand the effects music has on
a person’s learning capabilities
including neural activity and
interaction with personality traits.
Why is music Important?

Elicits emotions.
 Sets the tone or energy of the environment.
 Activates creative and learning structures in the brain.
Where does music affect neural activity?
 Jentschke and Koelsch (2010) found that when the brain is processing
melodies it activates neural activity in the frontal lobe first. Single
melodies stop there, however, harmonized melodies continue to
process throughout the rest of the brain.
 The frontal lobe is where most of the dopamine-sensitive neurons
associated with reward, attention, long-term memory, planning and
drive are found (Hock, 2009).
Music affects cognitive factors in the human
brain.
 Some factors differ by lateralization: Hoch and Tillman’s (2010)
research supports the split –brained musical function of the brain
where the left side of the brain hears tones, syllables and the right side
hears rhythm and melodies.
 Other factors differ by types of sound: Autti et al.’s (2010) research
found that frequency of the MMNm response was significantly more
increased through audio, specifically books on tape and then music.
Can Music Give Insight to Personality?
 Courvoisier and Haller’s (2010) article looked at 158 visual art students,
136 music students, 309 psychology students and tested them on
personality and thinking style.
 Results: Visual art/music students showed greater conscientious
awareness than psychology students. Music students were more
extraverted and agreeable than visual art students and more inclined to
heuristic thinking than psychology students.
Can Music Give Insight to Personality?
Continued…
 Delsing et al. (2007) used the Big Five Personality test that categorizes
personalities; openness, conscientiousness, extraversion,
agreeableness, and neuroticism as a reference to personality. Then
asked tested teenagers to note music preferences.
 Results:
 Rock =generally more open to expression and less consciously aware as
the other adolescents.
 Elite =generally open to expression, more agreeable, and scored high on
conscientiousness and scored low on emotional stability
 Urban and Pop/dance =scored high on extraversion and agreeableness.
Can communication and relationships
benefit from music based research?
 Delsing et al. (2007) found a correlation between personality type and
music selection among adolescents.
 This information and knowledge are insightful tools that aide in the
possibility of a connection between the adolescent and a caregiver ,
coach or teacher to work off of.
 Would mentor programs be
enhanced if matching a mentor
to a child was based on music
selection?
Can Education Benefit from an Enhanced
Music Curriculum?
 When government budget cuts are proposed music is one of the first
studies to be dropped from classrooms Lassahn (2009).
 Studying the neural activity of the brain when listening to music can
teach people where in our development does music affect them the
most?
 What emotions are elicited and at what emotional level do people
perform better?
 Do men prefer different tones and melodies than women when
performing tasks such as test taking or painting?
References
 Autti, T., Erikkila, J., Forsblom, A., Hietanenn, M., Laine, M., Laitinen,
S., Mikkonen, M., Peretz, I., Pihko, E., Sarkamo, T., Silvennoinen, H.
M., Soinjila, S., & Tervaniemi, M. (2010). Music and speech listening
enhance the recovery of early sensory processing after stroke. Journal of
Cognitive Neuroscience, 22, 2716-2727. Retrieved from EBSCO.
 Courvoisier, D. S., & Haller, C. S. (2010). Personality and thinking style
in different creative domains. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and
the Arts, 4, 3149-160. Retrieved from Pro Quest.
 Delsing, M. J. M. H., Engels, R. C. M. E., Meeus, W. H. J., & Ter Bogt,
T.R. M. (2007). Adolescents’ music preferences and personality
characteristics. European Journal of Personality, 22. Retrieved from
ProQuest.
References Continued…
 Hoch, L., & Tillmann, B. (2010). Laterality effects for musical structure
processing: a dichotic listening study. Neuropsychology, 24, 661-666.
Retrieved from Pro Quest.
 Hock, R. R., Zimbardo, G., & Zimbardo, P. G. (2009). An overview of
psychology: It’s past, present and future. New York, NY: Custom
Publishing.
 Delsing, M. J. M. H., Engels, R. C. M. E., Meeus, W. H. J., & Ter Bogt,
T.R. M. (2007). Adolescents’ music preferences and personality
characteristics. European Journal of Personality, 22. Retrieved from
ProQuest.
 Lassahn, J. (2009). Massive cutbacks in arts funding by US companies,
government. Retrieved from
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/feb2009/cuts-f17.shtml.