The authors examined the effects of arts education on cognition, behavior, and brain of children. Twenty-nine nonclinical children participated in a 15-week arts education program that was composed of either creative movement or musical arts. Children completed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, clinical scales, and brain magnetic resonance imaging before and after the intervention. Following program completion, performances on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Children's Depression Inventory scores, and conduct disorder scores were significantly improved. Furthermore, cortical thickness in the left postcentral gyrus and superior parietal lobule were increased, and the mean diffusivity values in the right posterior corona radiate and superior longitudinal fasciculus were decreased. Positive correlations between changes in cognitive measurements and changes in cortical thickness were observed. This preliminary study suggests a positive effect of arts education on executive functions in association with brain changes. However, these findings must be interpreted with caution due to the noncomparative study design.
Objectives:Art and culture education might play a good role in children's emotions ; however, few studies to verify this have been conducted. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of an art and culture education program on behavior and social skills in children aged 7-10 years.Methods:Fifteen children (mean age 7.31±0.95 years) were recruited from a community center and participated in an art and culture education program. The participants received a once a week program for 17 sessions, and we compared scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales (SSIS-RS) before and after intervention.Results:The participants' subscale scores of CBCL-aggressive behavior, social immaturity, internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior, total behavior problems and social skill scores on the SSIS-RS showed improvement (p<.05) after 15-weeks of the art and culture education program.Conclusion:These results suggest a positive effect of an art and culture education program on the reduction of externalizing and internalizing behaviors and improvement of social skills in children. Further prospective, controlled studies in large samples are needed in order to confirm our findings.KEY WORDS:Art and Culture EducationㆍChild and AdolescentㆍBehavior.
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