Brain Plasticity In Children

Neuroplasticity changes in children are a common observation since children are still developing and growing. However, changes due to musical effects have been observed to take place across a life span. Adolescents (teenage years between 12 and 19) brain plasticity have been shown to be affected through musical training, even though typical plasticity changes are less likely to occur as you get older (Tierney, et al., 2015). Changes in plasticity can even be observed in adults who begin musical training later on in life. In a study carried out by Bidelman and Alain (2015) it was found that compared to adults with little to no musical training older adults that go through rigorous practice on musical instruments can improve brain plasticity in the …show more content…
It is well-established that human behavior is guided by affect and emotion (Damasio, 1994; Fridja, 1988) and most people, when surveyed, report that they experience strong emotions when they listen to music (Sloboda & O’Neill, 2001). Lacourse et al. (2001) showed through their research that music is able to regulate emotions by validating or temporarily allowing an escape from thoughts and feelings, and releasing pent up emotions, anxiety, energy and anger. These emotions are found to be universally felt, despite the culture in which you identify. Fritz and colleagues (2009) put this to the test by looking at Western participants and a native African population. The participants from Western cultures were given music from the native African cultures to listen to, while individuals from the native African cultures we given music from the Western cultures. What was found was three basic emotions were able to be identified regardless if the music was unfamiliar or from a different culture: happy, sad, and scared/fearful. This indicates that the consonance and permanent sensory dissonance is universally recognized in the perceived pleasantness of