Pitichet Jitkamhaeng. The effectiveness of piano playing as a cognitive training program for the elderly. Master's Degree(Clinical Psychology). Mahidol University. Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center. : Mahidol University, 2018.
The effectiveness of piano playing as a cognitive training program for the elderly
Abstract:
This research aims to study the effects of playing piano to improve cognitive function of elderly. Samples are 30 elderly people aged between 60 and 82 years from wood ball sports club which belongs to the Federation of Associations of the elder of Thailand, Kanchanaburi province and do not have a history of playing music before. The research participants were divided into 2 groups: a control group of 15 people and an experimental group of 15 people. The experimental group received training of playing piano by using the technique practical course "One to five piano" consisting of 10 lessons which take 2 weeks to complete. All participants were evaluated for cognitive ability by neuropsychological test, and data were collected 2 times, before the start of the lesson and after completing the practice lessons. The research found that the cognitive abilities of the experimental group in TMT-A test before and after the lessons were significantly statistically different at .05 level (t = 2.41, p < .05). Thus, piano playing is an alternative way to improve cognitive function in elderly, especially who are interested in music