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NCT Number: NCT03160391

Cognitive Effects of Music and Dance Training in Children

The study used a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of two interventions (dance and musical training) for typically developing children. Interventions were run for three weeks in local community locations. Participants were tested before and after the intervention on a battery of cognitive and behavioural measures. They were compared across groups, and to a control group who do not receive the intervention.

The purpose of the current study was to assess the influence of dance and musical training on cognitive development. Research has indicated that musical training is associated with improve cognitive functioning, although the direction of such an association is unclear. Further, it is uncertain whether any benefits are specific to musical training or can also be demonstrated with other training activities. The current study used a randomized controlled trial to assess the causal effects of dance and musical training.

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Key information

Conditions

Cognitive Change

Age range

6 year–9 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

Participants Monolingual children aged between six and nine years old were recruited from two local communities in Ontario, Canada. Children with developmental delays, learning disabilities, or previous arts training were excluded from the study.

Participants were randomly allocated to one of two groups

  • Dance intervention group
  • Music intervention group

To establish baseline performance levels and have a comparison, a passive control group was collected from the same towns using the same exclusion criteria.

Data analysis Difference scores were calculated for each measure by subtracting each participant's second testing session data from the first. When appropriate, iterative trimming with a 3 SD cutoff was used, by subject and by condition, to remove outliers. Results for each measure were analyzed using one-way ANOVAs (analysis of variance) for the between-subjects factor of training group (music, dance, or control).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Monolingual

Exclusion criteria

  • Developmental delays or learning disabilities
  • Previous arts training (in dance, drama, or music)

Treatment and study plan

Music Training

Behavioral

Training curriculums were developed using guidelines set by the Ontario Ministry of Education (The Ontario Curriculum, 2009) for teaching music to grades 1 to 3. Music was delineated into duration, pitch, dynamics and other expressive controls, timbre, texture/harmony, and form. training included direct instruction and group activities. All training programs had the same structure: a warm-up period, following by instruction from a teacher, and then group activities to practically demonstrate the concepts learned. Both programs involved working towards a variety of ensembles.

Dance Training

Behavioral

As with music training, dance was operationally defined by fundamental concepts for the art form, namely elements for body, space, time, energy, and relationship. The intervention involved both individual and group activities, with a combination of instruction and practical activities, and preparation for a final performance.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in visuospatial working memory

    Time frame: Before and after intervention (3 weeks gap)

    Self-ordered pointing task (Cragg & Nation, 2007)

  2. Change in interference control on flanker

    Time frame: Before and after intervention (3 weeks gap)

    Flanker task (Bunge, Dudukovic, Thomason, Vaidya, & Gabriela, 2002)

  3. Change in color-shape task switching

    Time frame: Before and after intervention (3 weeks gap)

    color-shape task (Wiseheart, Viswanathan, & Bialystok, 2015)

  4. Change in verbal working memory

    Time frame: Before and after intervention (3 weeks gap)

    Digit span (Weschler, 2008)

  5. Change in interference control on Stroop

    Time frame: Before and after intervention (3 weeks gap)

    Stroop task (Cepeda, Blackwell, & Munakata, 2013)

  6. Change in quantity-identity task switching

    Time frame: Before and after intervention (3 weeks gap)

    quantity-identity task (Cepeda, Cepeda, & Kramer, 2000)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in processing speed using box completion

    Time frame: Before and after intervention (3 weeks gap)

    Box completion (Salthouse, 1993)

  2. Change in Non-verbal intelligence

    Time frame: Before and after intervention (3 weeks gap)

    Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT-2; Kaufman & Kaufman, 2004)

  3. Change in Receptive vocabulary

    Time frame: Before and after intervention (3 weeks gap)

    Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-IV; Dunn, Dunn, & Lenhard, 2015)

  4. Change in processing speed using digit symbol

    Time frame: Before and after intervention (3 weeks gap)

    Digit symbol (Weschler, 1991)

  5. Change in processing speed using symbol copy

    Time frame: Before and after intervention (3 weeks gap)

    Symbol copy (Weschler, 1991)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

York University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Cognitive Effects of Music and Dance Training in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2012
Primary completion
2013
Study completion
2013
First posted
May 19, 2017
Registry last updated
May 19, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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