Auditory Stimulation and Attention: Effects of 40-Hz Frequency in De-velopmental Age
Parole chiave:
Sound; Museum; Learning EnvironmentAbstract
The study was conducted at the Explora Museum with the aim of investigating the effects of rhythmic sound stimulation on attentional and executive functions in children. The sample, consisting of 45 participants (ages 3–15; 25 females, 20 males), was divided into three experimental conditions: (1) neutral, characterized by the museum’s ambient noise only; (2) museum composition, based on an audio track with a dominant frequency of approximately 196.8 Hz, located in the mid–low range of the sound spectrum, which served as a control condition to distinguish the general effect of music from the specific effect of rhythmic stimulation (40 Hz); and (3) low-frequency rhythmic stimulation (40 Hz), designed to enhance functional coherence and attentional control.
Assessment was carried out using the A1 subtest from the NEPSY-II battery (Brooks et al., 2009). Results showed significant differences between conditions (H = 7.30, p = .026): the group exposed to rhythmic stimulation achieved significantly higher scores than the neutral condition (p < .05). These findings suggest a facilitating effect of rhythmic sound stimulation and open new perspectives for neuroeducation and educational environmental design.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Luna Lembo, Stefania Morsanuto, Maia Steinberg, Margot Zanetti, Francesco Peluso Cassese
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