First Advisor
Rosann Ross
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Thesis
Date Created
5-1-2019
Department
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Psychological Sciences, SPS Student Work
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and can cause mood changes, memory loss, and loss of cognitive function. Musical interventions (known as music therapy) have been shown to effect the behavioral and memory loss aspects of AD. There have been few studies, however, completed to see what effects music therapy has on language deficits associated with AD. This study will look at the perceived effectiveness of active music therapy (MT) on the language deficits associated with AD. Active MT requires the participant to interact with the music either by playing an instrument, clapping, or singing, whereas passive MT requires the client to just listen to music. This study will administer a survey to people with AD as well as their guardians/family members, and will look at how active MT is perceived, and will assess if there is any correlation between past music experience and perceived effectiveness. Demographics as well as history of the participant’s musical background will be gathered on the survey. It is hypothesized that active music therapy will be perceived as effective to help improve the language deficits in people who suffer from AD. It is also hypothesized that people with more experience with music will perceive active MT as more effective. The results from this study can be used to determine if there is a willingness to participate in active MT, and if a certain population would be more likely to participate in MT based on past experience with music.
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by the author.
Recommended Citation
Reed, Alana, "Perceived effectiveness of active music therapy for Alzheimer's language deficits" (2019). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 21.
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/honors/21