SynthesisFrontiers in psychology2024
Effects of music training on executive functions in preschool children aged 3-6 years: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effectiveness of Computerized Cognitive Remediation Therapy on Executive Functions and Clinical Symptoms in Children and Adolescents With ADHD: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Alpha psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- The effects of physical activity on executive function in preschool children: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Can music activity training improve self-control among preschool children? Evidence from an 8-week intervention experiment.BMC psychology · 2026Trial
- Moving, Seeing, Hearing, Smelling and Tasting: How Sensory-Motor Experiences Shape Early Cognitive Development.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Differential effects of child-appropriate music styles on executive function in preschool children: a longitudinal experimental study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- The impact of musical training on reading ability in children: the mediating role of working memory.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- School-based music and extracurricular engagement as pathways to adolescent learning and wellbeing: mediating roles of self-regulation and school climate.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Boosting executive function in children aged 3-12 through musical training: a three-level meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
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). Results: 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 min 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 min 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 min per session (SMD = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.22-1.26). Conclusion: 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: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#aboutregpage, CRD42024513482.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.