Cognitive inhibitory control in children following early childhood music education

Abstract

The relationship between music training and executive functions has remained inconsistent in previous studies, possibly due to methodological limitations. This study aims to investigate cognitive inhibitory control in children (9–12 years old) with and without musical training, while carefully considering confounding variables. To assess executive functions, the Simon task was used, measuring reaction times (RTs) and error rates on congruent and incongruent trials. Information on important variables such as bilingualism, socio-economic status (SES), music pedagogy and amount of musical training was collected through a parental questionnaire. Furthermore, verbal and non-verbal intelligence were assessed with validated tests to consider their effects as well. The results showed that the samples did not significantly differ in background variables. The analysis of the RT data on the Simon task revealed a significant group × congruency interaction, such that musically trained children showed a reduced magnitude of the congruency effect (RTs on incongruent trials – RTs on congruent trials) compared to non-musicians. To conclude, music training seems to be associated with enhanced cognitive inhibitory control in well-matched samples.