The aim of this study is to provide a systematic review of the effects of active and passive music engagement on cognitive development. Out of the 66 studies uncovered by the initial search, methods, and conclusions of 12 quantitative, 2 qualitative, and 12 review studies were analyzed. The present review shows active music engagement may improve cognitive skills in near transfer domains, such as verbal and motor skills, as well as auditory discrimination. Improvements in distant transfer domains have also been reported, such as enhanced general IQ, memory skills, numeracy and spatial skills, executive skills, and problem-solving. Benefits for affective and social skill development have also been shown for both active and passive music engagement, while passive engagement is specifically beneficial in clinical settings. However, there are studies that don’t report significant effects. Potential sources of bias are further explored, suggesting that this field may be victim to confirmation and publication bias. Method variety in measurements, sample size, and intervention length, along with the lack of methodological rigor and control groups, prevent us from concluding a direct causal relationship between music engagement and cognitive development. Implications for controlling confounding factors and identifying potential moderator mechanisms are discussed.

中文翻译：

---

主动和被动音乐参与在认知发展中的作用：系统评价


本研究的目的是系统回顾主动和被动音乐参与对认知发展的影响。在初步检索发现的 66 项研究中，对 12 项定量研究、2 项定性研究和 12 项综述研究的方法和结论进行了分析。本综述表明，积极的音乐参与可以提高近迁移领域的认知技能，例如语言和运动技能，以及听觉辨别能力。远距离迁移领域的改善也有报道，例如增强的一般智商、记忆技能、计算能力和空间技能、执行技能和解决问题的能力。主动和被动音乐参与也显示出对情感和社交技能发展的好处，而被动参与在临床环境中特别有益。然而，有些研究并未报告显着的影响。进一步探讨了潜在的偏见来源，表明该领域可能是确认和发表偏见的受害者。测量方法、样本量和干预长度的多样性，以及缺乏方法严谨性和对照组，使我们无法得出音乐参与和认知发展之间直接因果关系的结论。讨论了控制混杂因素和确定潜在调节机制的影响。