Music and Cognitive Ability of Guinea Pigs

Effect of mozart songs on learning rodent experiment

Tanat Sangwong 5961121

Rujira Laorujiralai 5961177

Phatsakorn Rodphol 5961175

Thanakorn Maleesut 5961166

Pongpisit Iamsomboonkorn 5961220

Animal Behaviour

Ms.Charlene A. Cunningingham

Mahidol University International Demonstration School

Semester 1 Academics year 2018-2019

Introduction:

There are two main types of learning which are classical conditioning and operant. They

are used for training the animals. In classical conditioning, animals can be trained by many

methods such as flooding, counter countercondiing, desensitisation, graded counterconditioning

and graded exposure. Each of the method has its own advantages and disadvantages. For

instance, flooding is one of the training method that not recommended by most trainer because if

the trainer stop the process before the animal stop fearing the stimuli. The animal will be more

fearful..

On the other hand, there are four types of operant conditioning, which are positive

reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and negative punishment. Positive in

this phrase mean to add something and negative means to take away something. Punishment

means to reduce or inhibit a particular action of an animal, while reinforcement means to

encourage an animal to do a particular action more frequent. For example, when give treats to

dog when they success our task, this is positive punishment. Next, stop throwing the frisbee

when the dog success to catch it, this is negative reinforcement.

 . Then, we will recorded the time that the guinea pig used to escape the maze. Finally, we

can use the data that we collected to compare with the normal guinea pig that doesn’t listening

to the music (control). We will repeat this experiment about five time to see if the time that

guinea pig use to find the way out of the maze is shorter or not. Furthermore, we create two maze

design to compare the result with less percent error. The guinea pig will run in the first maze

design before they are listen to the music. Then, we will let the guinea pig to run in the second

maze. So that, guinea pig can not use the way that they use to escape the first maze to find the

way out. This will make the data result that we get after finished the experiment become more

accuracy. Moreover, we create the design of the two maze with the same level of differently in

order to create the least effect on the result.

The result of the experiment can be used as the background information for the future

research. In addition, the result can be contributed as the guidelines of training method.

Literature Review:

In this text, we will talk about the Alzheimer, which is a result of malfunction from a

brain. Research from Kathy Wiederhold, Executive Director at Clarity Pointe Louisville stated

that ​“While memory loss isolates our residents from the world and those around them, music

draws them back, giving them a way to express their emotions and connect with others. Music

therapy may not heal their disease, but it can heal the loneliness and frustration they feel as a

result.” Basically, music helps assembling all emotions and connection among lives, which at

least helps our brain working. The studies from ​Alzheimer’s Foundation of America​ (AFA)

explains that music has an intellectual effect on people with Alzheimer because the different
rhythm and beat of the sounds makes the brain processing. Likewise, the responses from each

songs require mental processing. Even though listening to music and responding to music do not

require a lot of brain functioning, it still stimulates many parts of the brain. Processing music

creates a lot of work inside our brain. For example, dealing with a tone and rhythm activates the

brain’s limbic areas in which responsible for emotions. Also, dealing with volume and pitch

stimulates the networks inside the brain in which it also helps in boosting creativity and mind.

Other advantages from listening music are that it also helps to organize information, make

decision, and releasing dopamine in order to relax the body. Therefore, this example gives a

great illustration of how the songs create a response in the brain.

Another topic is about Learning and Neuroplasticity, neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability

to reorganize and restructure itself by connecting new neural information throughout life.

According to 4 Surprising Ways That Music Changes Your Brain and Influences Your Mood,

Neuroplasticity allows the nerve cells in the brain to adjust their activities in response to new

situations or to changes due to the environment (2018). For more understanding, when the brain

is damaged, the nerve cells would find a new path way in order to function properly like the old

time. Surprisingly, music provides a stimuli to create that pathway and also help brain to

restructure themselves in case of any injuries. Furthermore, The University of Newcastle in

Australia also uses music to aid patient with damaged brains ( 4 Surprising Ways That Music

Changes Your Brain and Influences Your Mood, 2018 ). They state that music helps to evoke or

recall each patient personal memories in which they could not access by themselves. Music is
like a map for the patient. It creates a route for the brain to function properly. It’s like getting

directions to a location, and the music is a guideline.

The result studying in human potentially will have the same effects on guinea pigs

according to their DNA. According to Koshland Science Museum, rats have the 90% gene

shared with humans (2018). This is the reason why the experiment on human would perfectly be

the same as experiment or guinea pigs. Furthermore, many systems in guinea pigs’ bodies have

the same similarity as human, which makes the research more productive and precise. Therefore,

there is no error using human’s brain information in this article. In conclusion , these information

will make the readers understand how songs generalize the brain’ activities, how the songs create

learning development, and how the songs lead to a different kind of decisions.

Research Experiment Design:

Materials:

● Cardboards for maze

● Glue

● Two guinea pigs

● Cages
 ● food for guinea pig; Grass hay, Vegetables

● Extra type of food for guinea pig

● types of music

● Timer

Procedure:
1. Our group is going to buy a guinea pig at a store.

2. We then are going to take our guinea pig to a vet in order to check their well being and

health.

3. After that, we are going to make sure that our guinea pig is not afraid of us by using

counterconditioning.

4. Counterconditioning- we might start by placing the treat near the guinea pig.

5. Try to place the treat closer and closer to the guinea pig everyday and observa how the

guinea pig will react.

6. If the guinea pig looks comfortable when we approach closer and closer, then we will

start to give the treat from out hand.

7. Then, we are going to continue doing number three method until our guinea pig shows

their trust behavior to us. However, we need to make sure that we raise both guinea pigs

in the same way.

8. After that, we will create a maze using a cardboard with a precise measurement.

9. We will start the experiment by placing each guinea pig into the maze at a time and

record the time that each of them spend solving the maze problems.( We will do this

experiment about five times.)

 10. After we record the time, we will start to raise them with a mozart music such as the

beginning of the school, the lunch time, and the break time and see what their behavior

are. ( we will try to make them get used to Mozart music ) We will raise them with

mozart effect for three days.

11. By raising them with mozart music, we will then let both of them into a different maze

and record the time they use for find the way out from the maze. ( we will also do this

experiment about five times )

12. Finally, we will compare the time in which they each use for trying to solve the ways out,

and we will write a conclusion.

Then, we will recorded the time that the guinea pig used to escape the maze. Finally, we

can use the data that we collected to compare with the normal guinea pig that doesn’t listening

to the music (control). We will repeat this experiment about five time to see if the time that

guinea pig use to find the way out of the maze is shorter or not. Furthermore, we create two maze

design to compare the result with less percent error. The guinea pig will run in the first maze

design before they are listen to the music. Then, we will let the guinea pig to run in the second

maze. So that, guinea pig can not use the way that they use to escape the first maze to find the

way out. This will make the data result that we get after finished the experiment become more

accuracy. Moreover, we create the design of the two maze with the same level of differently in

order to create the least effect on the result.

Maze design:

In order to experiment which kind of music can improve guinea pigs’ learning skills, we decided

to use two mazes; one is to see and check how fast the guinea pigs can solve the maze while

other maze will use after both of guinea pigs get to listen to the different kind of music. Both of

mazes have the same level of complication.

The above picture is the first maze, which it has an easy pattern for guinea pig to walk to the end

point. We designed it to have an obvious route to the end point, in condition without any
obstacles and very few dead end. The structure of the maze will allow guinea pig to move freely

and it can show its ability to their max to find way out.

The above picture is the second maze, which it has the same complexity design with the first

one. We decided to create the second maze to see that guinea pig can be able to find the way out

even it is the new design and it able to solve the first one.

The materials that will be used to build the maze are cardboard, which will be used for

build the walls. Futureboard will be used as the base because it is easy to clean up when the

guinea pig accidentally feces. All materials that been used will not harm guinea pig, if they
accidentally eat it. The materials will be strong enough to hold the guinea pig inside and not

easily break if they hit on the walls.

Timeline of experiment:

Date Work

25-31 October - Plan the experiment

14-18 November - Start to record the video

- Bring the materials and start to
construct the maze

19-25 November - Let the guinea pig running into the

first maze without raising them with
mozart music.
- Let the guinea pig running into the
second maze with raising them with
mozart song for about 3 days.
- Testing the guinea pig effect of music
on their memory ability by let guinea
running into the second maze
- Recorded the time that the guinea pig
used to escape the maze

26-30 November - Analyze result

- Finished editing the video
Ethical / Human Statement

In order not to harm the animals during the experiment, every action of us need to be very

careful when we approach the guinea pig and making sure that we will not disturb or harm. After

the experiment, We will give guinea pig to those who are willing to adopt it. During the

experiment, we will try our best to make our guinea pig be comfortable as much as possible. We

will habitat our guinea pig in a suitable temperature, providing sufficient food and water,

minimise potential stress on guinea pig and avoid harmful actions. In addition, a part of our

experiment that we concern the most is when we have to move the guinea back from the school

to our home nearly every single day. This action will definitely cause stress to our guinea pig.

Therefore, we will bring it rest at the dorm and bring it to school in the morning which is going

to be better than bringing it from our home

Data collection/ Limitations

In the experiment, the thing that we are going to experiment on is to see how much time

the guinea pigs use to escape from the maze. We will use the video record to keep track of the

guinea pigs and also record the time. We will conduct the experiment for five times in order to

minimize the errors. The result in each trial will be plotted in line graph in order to make a clear

comparison.
 Challenges:

The first challenge that our group face is that our guinea pigs are sick. When we bring our

guinea pig to the veterinary, they say that there is mite on our guinea pig. Therefore, we need to

take care of them a lot. Other possible challenge is that our guinea pigs might die in the future, so

we might need to buy new guinea pigs. We need to make the wall of the maze high enough in

order to prevent the guinea pigs to escape. One of the main challenges is about financial

difficulty. We might need to spend our own money because the funding of the school might not

be enough for us.

How will you measure learning?

The performance of the guinea pig to success walking through the maze with the shortest

time will show the learning of the guinea pig. If the one listen to music we provide for them can

perform better, we can see that music really help in learning of guinea pig and it helps develop

its brain.

Conclusion​:

In order to understand the effects of music on the development of memory of the guinea

pig, we conduct the experiment by using the guinea pig as the testing animal. We will let the

guinea pig running into the maze before and after they listen to the music to compare the amount

of time they use to escape the maze.

Bibliography in APA format:

- Lifestyle, C. (2018, May 14). 4 Surprising Ways That Music Changes Your Brain and

Influences Your Mood. Retrieved from

https://www.consciouslifestylemag.com/music-and-the-brain-affects-mood/

- How Music Affects the Brain. (2018, October 24). Retrieved from

https://bebrainfit.com/music-brain/

- Elliott, P. (2018, October 08). How to Tame Your Guinea Pig. Retrieved from

https://www.wikihow.com/Tame-Your-Guinea-Pig