Ellen Winner is a psychologist and a professor at Boston College. She specializes in psychology of art. In this interview, she answers the following questions including: (1) What are you currently working on, researching? (2) Could you elaborate on the intrinsic value of art education? (3) How might you compare your work today to earlier advocates…

Both episodic memory and the key neural structure believed to support it, namely the hippocampus, are believed to undergo protracted periods of postnatal developmental. Critically however, the hippocampus is comprised of distinct subfields and circuits, and these circuits appear to mature at different rates (Lavenex and Banta Lavenex, 2013).…

In this review essay, Francis Schrag focuses on two recent anthologies dealing completely or in part with the role of neuroscience in learning and education: The "Jossey-Bass Reader on the Brain and Learning", edited by Jossey-Bass Publishers, and "New Philosophies of Learning", edited by Ruth Cigman and Andrew Davis. Schrag argues that…

According to Bowers, the finding that there are neurons with highly selective responses to familiar stimuli supports theories positing localist representations over approaches positing the type of distributed representations typically found in parallel distributed processing (PDP) models. However, his conclusions derive from an overly narrow view…

Bowers challenged the common view in favor of distributed representations in psychological modeling and the main arguments given against localist and grandmother cell coding schemes. He revisited the results of several single-cell studies, arguing that they do not support distributed representations. We praise the contribution of Bowers (2009) for…

Whereas non-suicidal self injury (NSSI) is reported in 13-23% of adolescents and is an increasingly studied topic, there has been little investigation into the pathophysiology behind self-injury. This commentary examines recent research into pain and emotional distress to discuss implications for the manner we should understand, research, and…

Advanced technologies have made it possible for neuroscientists to make remarkable discoveries regarding how our brains learn. This research should provide new insights into the designs of learning environments. This essay is an attempt to suggest how the possibilities of neuroscience might be employed to meet contemporary educational demands,…

Studies about bilingualism and second language acquisition (SLA) have a long tradition within linguistic and psycholinguistic research. The contributions from psycholinguistic research are crucial to the improvement of neurolinguistic models. This importance stems from the fact that psycholinguistic research is posing more specific questions than…

This article presents an interview with Michael W. O'Boyle, a neuroscientific investigator of high mathematical ability. O'Boyle is a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Texas Tech University, and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.…

A study designed to assess aviation students' (n=87) cognitive processing bias investigated whether patterns or correlations exist between the biases and such factors as class standing, age, gender, and aviation program choices. Progression from relational to bilateral processing from entry to graduation was found. (JOW)

New evidence on brain functions demonstrates the necessity of connections between knowing and doing, school and life, knowledge and application, and content and context. Contextual teaching and learning principles can better harness the power of the thinking brain. (SK)

This paper presents a discussion of the use of microcomputers and computer graphics programs as basic design experiences which relate as much to the right as to the left side of the brain. It reviews selected research in art education that shows the importance of the right brain in various areas of creative behavior and in developing drawing…

This brief introduction to E. Jan Kappers' article "Outpatient Treatment of Dyslexia through Stimulation of the Cerebral Hemispheres" reviews the lifetime work of Kappers in the field of dyslexia. (CR)

This article reviews the evidence on the relationship between the two brain hemispheres and creative cognitive processes. It concludes that claims about creativity being "in" one or the other hemispheres represent an uncritical acceptance of naive pseudoscientific beliefs about the brain and brain function. (DB)

Briefly reviews theories of brain hemisphere functions and draws implications for social studies instruction. Maintains that the metaphor aids the development of understanding because it connects right and left brain functions. Provides a learning activity based on the metaphor of the U.S. government functioning as a machine. (BSR)