Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Understanding how students learn is crucial for helping them succeed. We examined brain function in 107 undergraduate students during a task known to be challenging for many students-physics problem solving-to characterize the underlying neural mechanisms and determine how these support comprehension and proficiency. Further, we applied module analysis to response distributions, defining groups of students who answered by using similar physics conceptions, and probed for brain differences linked with different conceptual approaches. We found that integrated executive, attentional, visual motion, and default mode brain systems cooperate to achieve sequential and sustained physics-related cognition. While accuracy alone did not predict brain function, dissociable brain patterns were observed when students solved problems by using different physics conceptions, and increased success was linked to conceptual coherence. Our analyses demonstrate that episodic associations and control processes operate in tandem to support physics reasoning, offering potential insight to support student learning.
Source: npj Science of Learning
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,300
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, University of Miami, National Institutes of Health, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Division of Computer and Network Systems, Division of Information and Intelligent Systems, Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Awards: G1600383843, Neuroimaging meta-analytics for addiction: Nodes, networks,and new heuristics, G3627321748, G4074057894, G407593949, G4086100190, NCS-FO: Integrative Knowledge Modeling in Cognitive Neuroimaging, Exploring the Neural Mechanisms of Physics Learning, G4847443956, G4850093945, G4946503971, G5504367208, G5520316217, G5575371808, G5880275249, G672865046, G6766839022, G7152397899, Impact of HIV and cannabis on brain function: Regions, networks, and the connecto, G7689546973, MRI: Development of an Integrated Neuroimaging Instrument with Temporal and Spatial Alignments for Brain Research, G9000150441, G9000225706, 4/21 ABCD-USA CONSORTIUM: RESEARCH PROJECT SITE AT FIU, The FIU Research Center in a Minority Institution (FIU-RCMI)
OpenAlex ID: W2989606440