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Cited by 85Diverse Music Education InsightsNeuroscience and Music PerceptionMusic Education and Analysis

Music training with Démos program positively influences cognitive functions in children from low socio-economic backgrounds

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Barbaroux, Mylène, Dittinger, Eva, Besson, Mireille·2019·PLOS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0216874PMC PMC6522123
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Abstract

This study aimed at evaluating the impact of a classic music training program (Démos) on several aspects of the cognitive development of children from low socio-economic backgrounds. We were specifically interested in general intelligence, phonological awareness and reading abilities, and in other cognitive abilities that may be improved by music training such as auditory and visual attention, working and short-term memory and visuomotor precision. We used a longitudinal approach with children presented with standardized tests before the start and after 18 months of music training. To test for pre-to-post training improvements while discarding maturation and developmental effects, raw scores for each child and for each test were normalized relative to their age group. Results showed that Démos music training improved musicality scores, total IQ and Symbol Search scores as well as concentration abilities and reading precision. In line with previous results, these findings demonstrate the positive impact of an ecologically-valid music training program on the cognitive development of children from low socio-economic backgrounds and strongly encourage the broader implementation of such programs in disadvantaged school-settings.

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  • Barbaroux et al.'s (2019) results are uninterpretable.

    “which makes their results uninterpretable”

    From Cognitive and academic benefits of music training with children: A multilevel meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Barbaroux et al.’s (2019)

    The Discussion’s Limitations section acknowledges that the lack of an active control group prevents the authors from establishing whether the effects are specific to music training. It does not call the results uninterpretable; instead, it says this limitation does not reduce their societal impact and argues that age-related change can be ruled out using normalized scores. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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  • Barbaroux et al.'s (2019) study does not implement any type of controls.

    “Barbaroux et al.’s (2019) study does not implement any type of controls”

    From Cognitive and academic benefits of music training with children: A multilevel meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Barbaroux et al.’s (2019)

    The Methods (Data processing and statistical analyses) explicitly say that no active control group was tested, supporting that narrower criticism. But the same section says the study used age-normalized scores and pre–post comparisons, which the authors describe as similar to a passive control group. The claim overstates the absence of controls by saying there were none of any type. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
Barbaroux, M., Dittinger, E., & Besson, M.
Affiliations
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
Corresponding author
Barbaroux, Mylène
ORCID
Venue
PLOS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2019-05-16
Volume
14
Issue
5
Pages
e0216874
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0216874
PMC
PMC6522123
OpenAlex
W2946283094
Cited by
85
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 2
FWCI
230.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • BLRI (ANR-11-LABX-0036)
  • AMIDEX (ANR-11-IDEX-0001-02)
  • Philharmonie de Paris
  • Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Diverse Music Education Insights
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
  • Social Sciences › Education › Music Education and Analysis
Keywords
musical training, cognitive development, low socioeconomic status, children, intelligence, phonological awareness, reading skills, auditory attention, visual attention, working memory, short-term memory, musicality, concentration, school-based intervention
MeSH terms
Aptitude, Auditory Perception, Child, Cognition, Female, Humans, Intelligence, Learning, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Music, Reading, Socioeconomic Factors

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