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Epigenetics and learning
Publication date: Available online 14 November 2015 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): Birgitta Mc Ewen Epigenetics, the new field of biology, has given us a scientific explanation model for how the environment influences gene expressions. ‘Epi’ means ‘above’ and describes mechanisms that are situated ‘above’ the base-pair order in the DNA. The benefits of our increased understanding of epigenetics encompass many fields, among them learning. Since the same epigenetic mechanisms seem to be involved in learning, stress and physical exercise, we have a scientific tool to conduct investiga...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - November 20, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Enhancing statistical calculation with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the left intra-parietal sulcus (IPS)
In this study we administered the low current brain stimulation followed by instruction.Thirty-two participants completed the study, the participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: control, 1mA, or 2mA. The experimental group participants received low current brain stimulation, tDCS for 20 minutes. After administration of the tDCS each group viewed an instructional video showing calculations for a non-parametric statistics, Kruskal-Wallis. Upon completion of viewing the video participants completed calculation of a problem requiring using a Kruskal-Wallis. We found that both experimental groups performed si...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - August 6, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

When I Met my brain: Participating in a neuroimaging study influences children’s naïve mind–brain conceptions
Publication date: Available online 9 July 2015 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): Sandrine Rossi, Céline Lanoë, Nicolas Poirel, Arlette Pineau, Olivier Houdé, Amélie Lubin Children who participate in neuroimaging research most likely revise their naïve conceptions about the brain, the mind and their relation. Our aim was to explore this educational effect by comparing two groups of 8-year-old children with and without MRI experiences. Our Mind–Brain Questionnaire allowed us to explore the participants’ naïve conceptions through different cognitive functions. The results reveale...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - July 17, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Meta-analysis of twin studies highlights the importance of genetic variation in primary school educational achievement
Publication date: Available online 10 July 2015 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): Eveline L. de Zeeuw , Eco J.C. de Geus , Dorret I. Boomsma Children differ in their ability to learn what is taught at school. Evidence from twin studies suggests that genetic effects contribute to such differences. The aim of the present study was to systematically review the existing literature, including 61 studies from 11 cohorts, on twin studies of educational achievement in primary school children. The meta-analysis estimated heritability, based on up to 5330 MZ and 7084 DZ twin pairs, at 73% for reading, 49%...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - July 11, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

When I Met my brain: Participating in a neuroimaging study influences children’s naïve mind-brain conceptions
Publication date: Available online 9 July 2015 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): Sandrine Rossi , Céline Lanoë , Nicolas Poirel , Arlette Pineau , Olivier Houdé , Amélie Lubin Children who participate in neuroimaging research most likely revise their naïve conceptions about the brain, the mind and their relation. Our aim was to explore this educational effect by comparing two groups of 8-year-old children with and without MRI experiences. Our Mind-Brain questionnaire allowed us to explore the participants’ naïve conceptions through different cognitive functions. The results revealed t...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - July 10, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Improvement in non-linguistic executive functions following reading acceleration training in children with reading difficulties: An ERP study
Publication date: Available online 3 July 2015 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus The Reading Acceleration Program (RAP) increases reading speed and executive functioning in the linguistic domain in both children with reading disability and typical readers. We tested the effect of the RAP training on executive functions in non-linguistic domains in these two reading groups. Electrophysiological measures were taken while children completed a computerized version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, before and after eight weeks of training. Both reading groups had task improvement...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - July 4, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Effects of mental rotation training on children’s spatial and mathematics performance: A randomized controlled study
Publication date: Available online 5 June 2015 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): Zachary Hawes , Joan Moss , Beverly Caswell , Daniel Poliszczuk The purpose of the current study was to (i) investigate the malleability of children’s spatial thinking, and (ii) the extent to which training-related gains in spatial thinking generalize to mathematics performance. Sixty-one 6- to 8-year-olds were randomly assigned to either computerized mental rotation training or literacy training. Training took place on iPad devices over a 6-week period as part of regular classroom activity. Results revealed that...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - June 6, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Learning mathematics without a suggested solution method: Durable effects on performance and brain activity
Publication date: Available online 28 April 2015 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): Linnea Karlsson Wirebring , Johan Lithner , Bert Jonsson , Yvonne Liljekvist , Mathias Norqvist , Lars Nyberg A dominant mathematics teaching method is to present a solution method and let pupils repeatedly practice it. An alternative method is to let pupils create a solution method themselves. The current study compared these two approaches in terms of lasting effects on performance and brain activity. Seventy-three participants practiced mathematics according to one of the two approaches. One week later, part...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - April 29, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Is inhibition involved in overcoming a common physics misconception in mechanics?
Publication date: Available online 8 April 2015 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): Lorie-Marlène Brault Foisy , Patrice Potvin , Martin Riopel , Steve Masson Science education is often challenged by students׳ misconceptions about various phenomena. Recent studies show that these misconceptions coexist with scientific conceptions, even after a conceptual change occurs. However, the mechanisms involve in overcoming the interference caused by this coexistence remain poorly understood. A possible explanation is that inhibition could play a role in learning science. An fMRI protocol was used to obt...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - April 10, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, and education: Interdisciplinary development of an intervention for low socioeconomic status kindergarten children
Publication date: Available online 26 March 2015 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): M.J. Hermida , M.S. Segretin , L.M. Prats , C.S. Fracchia , J.A. Colombo , S.J. Lipina The current study presents a 32-week intervention for kindergarten children from low socio-economic backgrounds. The main contribution of this study resides in the interdisciplinary development of the intervention, made in close collaboration between educational researchers, and researchers in cognitive neuroscience and developmental psychology. The intervention was implemented by teachers through class activities, to promote...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - March 30, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Training executive function in preschoolers reduce externalizing behaviors
Publication date: Available online 29 March 2015 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): Alexandra Maria S. Volckaert , Marie-Pascale Noël In this research we want to observe, in preschool children, and with an experimental design, whether a cognitive intervention aiming at enhancing inhibition capacities would have an impact not only on executive functions but also lead to behavioral changes with a decrease in external behavioral problems (EB). Forty-seven normally developed preschoolers (mean age of 60 months) took part in a pretest assessing executive function (EF) capacities (attention, motor and ...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - March 30, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Does number word inversion affect arithmetic processes in adults?
Publication date: Available online 13 February 2015 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): Jan Lonnemann , Song Yan Neuropsychological and developmental findings suggest that number word inversion complicates numerical processing. The aim of this study was to look for adverse effects of number word inversion in neurologically healthy adults. Addition problems were presented verbally to native speakers from China and from Germany in two different ways: familiar vs. unfamiliar (i.e., inverted number words in Chinese and non-inverted number words in German). While Chinese participants had more difficulti...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - February 16, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

The effect of distributed practice: Neuroscience, cognition, and education
Publication date: Available online 13 February 2015 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): Emilie Gerbier , Thomas C. Toppino Education ideally should induce learning that lasts for years and more. A wealth of research indicates that, to achieve long-lasting retention, information must be practiced and/or tested repeatedly, with repeated practice well distributed over time. In this paper we discuss the behavioral, neuroimaging and neurophysiological findings related to the effect of distributed practice and testing as well as the resulting theoretical accounts. Distributed practice and testing appear ...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - February 16, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Information technology in education: Risks and side effects
Publication date: Available online 2 December 2014 Source:Trends in Neuroscience and Education Author(s): Manfred Spitzer The use of information technology (IT) in education carries risks and side effects, which are often overlooked or played down. In this paper, examples from the published literature are provided to demonstrate the down-side of IT in education: typing impairs reading and writing. Impaired reading and writing impairs learning and memory. IT leads to shallow processing, exemplified by the smaller amount of learning through the use of Google as compared to books, journals or newspapers. WLAN in lecture ...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - December 4, 2014 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Academic motivation mediates the influence of temporal discounting on academic achievement during adolescence
This study investigated the relationship between academic achievement and temporal discounting, a behavioural measurement of delay of gratification abilities, in N=638 12–18 year old adolescents. Neuroscience studies have demonstrated protracted development of the brain areas involved in delaying immediate gratification. This finding may have consequences for educational practice, as students are frequently required to forsake attractive short-term rewards in favour of less attractive academic long-term alternatives. Results showed that adolescents with an increased ability to delay gratification achieved higher grades. ...
Source: Trends in Neuroscience and Education - November 7, 2014 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research