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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Cognition
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1522962
This article is part of the Research Topic Cognitive outcomes and neural mechanisms of music interventions across development View all articles

Effects of music training on executive functions in preschool children aged 3-6 years: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Provisionally accepted
Yanan Lu Yanan Lu 1Lin Shi Lin Shi 2,3*Ahmad Faudzi Musib Ahmad Faudzi Musib 1*
  • 1 Department of Music, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 2 School of Physical Education, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
  • 3 Center for Post-doctoral Studies of Sport Science, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Executive functions is a crucial ability in the early development of preschool children. While numerous studies have found that music training has a favorable effect on children's executive functions, there is a lack of a consistent perspective on this topic, particularly with regard to the dose-response relationship.Methods: Systematic searches were conducted of Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. A random-effects meta-analysis was used to compute standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).In all, 10 studies were included in the meta-analysis, in which children's music training groups showed significantly improved inhibitory control (SMD = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.16-0.6), working memory (SMD = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.16-0.54), and cognitive flexibility (SMD = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.04-0.42) in comparison with control groups. Subgroup analyses indicated significant improvements relative to the control groups for inhibitory control following music training having a duration of ≥12 weeks (SMD = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.22-0.8), occurring ≥3 times per week (SMD = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.2-0.75), and lasting 20-30 minutes per session (SMD = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.2-0.63). Significant improvements were seen for working memory following music training having a duration of ≥12 weeks (SMD = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.18-0.65) , occurring ＜3 times per week (SMD = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.06-0.93), occurring ≥3 times per week (SMD = 0.28, 95% CI： 0.1-0.47), and lasting 20-30 minutes per session (SMD = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.16-0.54). Music training significantly improved cognitive flexibility following training having a duration of ≥12 weeks (SMD = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.04-0.41), occurring ≥3 times per week (SMD = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.0-0.39), and lasting >40 minutes per session (SMD = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.22-1.26).Music training has a positive effect on inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility in preschool children aged 3-6 years. This effect is influenced by certain training factors, including the duration of the intervention period, frequency per week, and length of each session. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42024513482.

    Keywords: executive functions, Preschool children, Inhibitory Control, working memory, cognitive flexibility

    Received: 05 Nov 2024; Accepted: 30 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lu, Shi and Musib. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Lin Shi, School of Physical Education, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
    Ahmad Faudzi Musib, Department of Music, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

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