Revisiting the association between music lessons and intelligence: Training effects or music aptitude?
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A plausible alternative explanation for cognitive and academic advantages in correlational and non-randomized intervention studies is preexisting differences in children's intelligence, temperament, and environment.
“From this point of view, most of the cognitive and academic advantages observed in correlational studies and interventions without random assignment (where participants and their families chose musical activities) could be due to preexisting differences in children's intelligence, temperament, and environment.”
From Please don't stop the music: A meta-analysis of the cognitive and academic benefits of instrumental musical training in childhood and adolescence (2022) · cites this paper as Swaminathan et al., 2017
Music aptitude, rather than the amount of music training, predicts fluid intelligence in a sample of adults.
“Swaminathan, Schellenberg, and Khalil (2017) show that music aptitude, rather than the amount of music training, predicts fluid intelligence in a sample of adults.”
From Cognitive and academic benefits of music training with children: A multilevel meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Swaminathan, Schellenberg, and Khalil (2017)
The correlation between intelligence and engagement in music is mediated by innate (as opposed to trained) music skills.
“This finding upholds the idea that the correlation between intelligence and engagement in music is mediated by innate (as opposed to trained) music skills.”
From Cognitive and academic benefits of music training with children: A multilevel meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Swaminathan, Schellenberg, and Khalil (2017)
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SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models
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“Although such “far-transfer” effects have been studied for over 100 years, it remains unclear whether such effects are actually possible (e.g., Brody, 1992; Jensen, 1969, 1998; Thorndike &Woodworth, 1901a, 1901b).”
BackgroundIs working memory training effective? A meta-analytic review
Melby-Lervåg, M., & Hulme, C. (2013) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0028228 · Cited by 1,782 · see citing works
Why g matters: The complexity of everyday life
Gottfredson, L. S. (1997) · Intelligence · doi:10.1016/s0160-2896(97)90014-3 · Cited by 1,408 · see citing works
Melby-Lervåg, M., Redick, T. S., & Hulme, C. (2016) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691616635612 · Cited by 910 · see citing works
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Cogmed working memory training: Does the evidence support the claims?
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“Moreover, evidence that training in working memory has far-transfer effects (i.e., to reading, intelligence, arithmetic, etc.) is mixed (Melby-Lervåg, Reddick, & Hulme, 2016; Weicker et al., 2016).”
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Cognitive Training Does Not Enhance General Cognition
Sala, G., & Gobet, F. (2019) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2018.10.004 · Cited by 303 · see citing works
Cognitive and academic benefits of music training with children: A multilevel meta-analysis
Sala, G., & Gobet, F. (2020) · Memory & Cognition · doi:10.3758/s13421-020-01060-2 · Cited by 235 · see citing works
Román-Caballero, R., Vadillo, M. A., Trainor, L. J., & Lupiáñez, J. (2022) · Educational Research Review · doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100436 · Cited by 118 · see citing works
- Authors
- Swaminathan, S., Schellenberg, E. G., & Khalil, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Schellenberg, E. Glenn
- Venue
- Intelligence
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-05
- Volume
- 62
- Pages
- 119-124
- ISSN
- 0160-2896 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2602310945
- Cited by
- 157
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 5.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Intelligence (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Diverse Music Education Insights
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Keywords
- musical training, music lessons, musical ability, nonverbal intelligence, Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, socioeconomic status, training effects
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