Neuroscience of Learning

By Juan Garcia and Candice Markham

The Brain

• This chapter addresses the relation of the nervous system to learning and behavior. The focus of the chapter is on the central nervous system (CNS), which comprises the brain and the spinal cord.

Organization and Structure

The CNS is composed of the spinal cord and the brain and is the body’s central mechanism for control of voluntary behavior.

Neural Organization

• Neurons – the brain and spinal cord contain about 100 billion neurons that send and receive information across muscles and organ (Wolfe, 2001).

– Neurons do not regenerate like other cells; they can be destroyed due to stroke, disease or accident

– Neurons communicate with one another

• Glial Cells – far more numerous than neurons. The are seen as the supporting cell to the neuron.

– They do not transmit signals like neurons– They assist in the communication process between neurons

SynapsesDendrites – an elongated tissue that receives information from other cells

Axon- is a long thread of tissue that sends messages to other cells

Myelin sheath- surrounds the axon and facilitates the travel of signals

Communication• Chemical neurotransmitters sit at the

end of the axon and electrical and chemical signals travel across the synaptic gap.

• At the neural level, learning essentially is a change in the receptivity of cells brought about by neural connections formed, strengthened, and connected with others through use (Jensen, 2005; Wolfe, 2001)

Brain StructuresCerebral Cortex – processes sensory information; regulates various learning and memory functionsReticular Formation- controls bodily functions (i.e. breathing and blood pressure)Cerebellum- regulates body balance, posture , muscular control, movement, motor skill acquisitionThalamus- sends inputs from senses (except smell) to cortexHypothalamus- controls homeostatic body functions (i.e. temperature, sleep, water, and food; increases heart rate and breathing during stressAmygdala- controls emotions and aggression; assesses harmfulness of sensory inputsHippocampus- holds memory of immediate past and working memory; establishes information in long term memoryCorpus callosum- connects right and left hemispheresOccipital lobe- processes visual informationParietal lobe- processes tactile information; determines body position; integrates visual informationFrontal Lobe- processes information for memory, planning, decision making, goal setting, creativity; regulates muscular movements

You tell me which one?• Controls Speech • Comprehends Speech

The Great Debate

Left Brain• controls the right side visual

field and side of the body• Analytical thinking• Positive emotions• Highly verbal

Right Brain• Controls the left side visual

field and side of the body• Spatial, auditory, emotional

artistic• Negative emotions• Primary location for

assembling contextual information

Which are you?

Left-Brained Right-Brained

MethodsX-Ray – high frequency electromagnetic waves used to determine abnormalities in solid structuresComputerized Axial Tomography Scans – enhanced images (3-D) used to detect body abnormalitiesElectroencephalographs- measures electrical patterns caused by movement of neurons; used to investigate various brain disordersPositron Emission Tomography Scans – assesses gamma rays produced by mental activity; provides overall picture of brain activity but limited by slow speed and participants; ingestion of radioactive materialMagnetic Resonance Imaging- radio waves cause brain to produce signals that are mapped; used to detect tumors, lesions, and other abnormalitiesFunctional magnetic resonance imaging- performance of mental task fires neurons, causes blood flow and changes magnetic flow; comparison with image of brain at rest shows responsible regions

Information Processing System

• Sensory inputs are processed in the sensory memory portions of the brain, and those that are retained long enough are transferred to WM. WM seems to reside in multiple parts of the brain but primarily in the prefrontal cortex of the frontal lobe (Wolfe, 2001).

Sensory Overload

Hebb’s Theory• Hebb believed that when the cell assembly

was aroused it would facilitate neural responses in other systems as well as motor responses. Hebb felt that repeated stimulation led to growth of synaptic knobs that increased the contact between axons and dendrites (Hilgard, 1956).

Can the physical structure of the brain change?

Yes No

Language Learning

Broca’s Area• Plays a major role in

production of grammatically correct speech

Wernicke’s Area• is critical for proper word

choice and elocution

Brain Development

• What are the five factors affecting brain development?

Phases of Development•Brain development occurs rapidly in infants. By age 2 a child will have as many synapses as an adult•By the time adolescents turn 18 they have lost about half their infant synapses•By age 5 a child’s brain has acquired a language and developed sensory motor skills

Critical Periods

• What aspects of brain development have critical periods?

Language Development• Researchers often measure event-related potentials (or

evoked potentials) which are changes in brain waves that occur when individuals anticipate or engage in various tasks (Halliday, 1998).

• A critical period in language development seems to be between birth and age 5. During this time, children’s brains develop most of their language capabilities. There is a rapid increase in vocabulary between ages 19 and 31 months (Jensen, 2005).

• Different areas of the brain must work together to learn language, such as area involved in seeing, hearing, speaking and thinking (Byrnes, 2001).

Motivation and Emotions

• Brain processes linked with different cognitive functions

• Research on noncognitive functions: motivation and emotions

Motivation• Process whereby goal directed

activities are instigated and sustained• Motivated actions: choice of task,

effort, persistence and achievement• Processes that affect motivation: goals,

self-efficacy, needs, values and perceptions of control

• Cognitive neuroscience perspective: two neural counterparts of motivation, rewards and motivational states.

Rewards• Expectation of Reward• Motivates Behavior rather than the reward

itself• Motivation may decline overtime• Brain= produces its own rewards= opiates=

natural high• Expectation, reward for competent or

improved performance, which produces neurotransmitter, dopamine.

• Brain can become satiated with rewards, larger reward needed to produce dopamine .

Implications for teaching

• Expectation of reward or level will not motivate all students uniformly.

• Teachers must learn what motivates each student

• Establish a reward system that can accommodate changes in students’ preferences

Motivational State

• CNP: Complex neural connections include emotions, cognitions and behaviors.

• Integrated combination of mind body, and behavior that links with a web like network of synaptic connections

• Teachers goal = students in a motivational state for learning.

Do emotions play a role in whether a student will learn?

Yes No

Emotions• CNP - emotional reactions have four

overlapping stages: orienting complex, emotional event integration, response selection and sustained emotional context

• can help direct attention• Influence learning and memory• Teachers get students involved in learning,

emotional interest rise• Motivation and emotions are integrally

linked with cognitive processing and neural activities.

Implications For Teaching and Learning

• Relevance of Brain Research

• Educators interest• Educational materials

and instructions • Understanding brain

processes provides additional insights

• Educators have over generalized results

• Task require activity of both hemispheres

• Relative than absolute

Educational Issues

• Role of early education• Complexity of cognitive processes• Diagnosis of specific difficulties• Multifaceted nature of learning

Brain-Based Educational Practices

• Problem-based learning• Simulations and role playing • Active discussions• Graphics• Positive climate

Which brain based educational practice do you feel you can implement in your

classroom or work place.

A. Problem-based learningB. Simulations and role playing C. Active discussionsD. GraphicsE. Positive climate

Questions?

Thank you have a Happy Easter!