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Musicians have better memory than nonmusicians: A meta-analysis
Francesca Talamini1, Gianmarco Altoè2, Barbara Carretti1
1Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Plos One
|October 20, 2017
Summary
Musicians outperform nonmusicians in memory tasks, particularly with tonal stimuli. This meta-analysis confirms a significant advantage for musicians in long-term, short-term, and working memory, influenced by stimulus type.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience of Music
Background:
- Previous research suggests musicians have enhanced memory abilities compared to nonmusicians.
- The extent and consistency of this memory advantage remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To clarify whether musicians exhibit superior performance in memory tasks through a comprehensive meta-analysis.
- To investigate the influence of stimulus type on musicians' memory advantage.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis was conducted on 29 studies comparing young adult musicians and nonmusicians.
- Studies included long-term, short-term, and working memory tasks with tonal, verbal, or visuospatial stimuli.
- Separate meta-analyses were performed for each memory type.
Main Results:
- Musicians demonstrated significant advantages in long-term memory (g = .29), short-term memory (g = .57), and working memory (g = .56).
- The type of stimulus moderated the effect for short-term and working memory.
- The musicians' advantage was largest for tonal stimuli, moderate for verbal, and smallest for visuospatial stimuli.
Conclusions:
- Musicians generally outperform nonmusicians in memory tasks, with medium effect sizes for short-term and working memory.
- The type of stimuli presented significantly influences the magnitude of this memory advantage.
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