Neuroimaging studies have frequently observed relatively high activity in medial rostral prefrontal cortex (PFC) during rest or baseline conditions. Some accounts have attributed this high activity to the occurrence of unconstrained stimulus-independent and task-unrelated thought processes during baseline conditions. Here, the authors investigated…

This article presents and tests the authors' integration hypothesis of global/local processing, which proposes that at early stages of processing, the identities of global and local units of a hierarchical stimulus are represented separately from information about their respective levels and that, therefore, identity and level information have to…

In the present work, we developed a database of nonlinguistic sounds that mirror prosodic characteristics typical of language and thus carry affective information, but do not convey linguistic information. In a dichotic-listening task, we used these novel stimuli as a means of disambiguating the relative contributions of linguistic and affective…

This paper presents autoassociator neural networks. A first section reviews the architecture of these models, common learning rules, and presents sample simulations to illustrate their abilities. In a second section, the ability of these models to account for learning phenomena such as habituation is reviewed. The contribution of these networks to…

A new generation of study programs worldwide is examining the links between brain science and children's learning problems and skills. One of its aims is to help bridge the gap between the laboratory and the classroom. Thus, by bringing multiple academic fields to bear in studying the brain, scientists hope to fashion cutting-edge research…

A study was conducted that attempted to show changes in electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns (identified using topographic EEG mapping) when children were required to perform the relatively simple task of button pressing during an eyes-open baseline session of low cognitive demand and a complex reaction time (RT) task of high cognitive demand.…

This study investigated the interaction between cognitive lateral functions and pictorial recognition memory for pictures presented in three different color modes. The stimulus materials used were slides selected from a pool of travel and general geographic scenery slides taken in various parts of North America. One third of the slides were…

Through the years teachers have developed a systematic approach to teaching logic, order, and structure. This approach has put to use the capabilities of only the left side of the brain, neglecting the right-brain activities of visual literacy and visual clustering. To help students organize information efficiently, teachers should provide…

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself, "wrote Leo Tolstoy. Have you ever thought about how learning changes your brain? If yes, this paper may help you explore the research that will change our learning landscape in the next few years! Recent developers in the neurosciences and education research…

Argues that cognitive reductionism--seeking singular, unitary cognitive explanations for broad ranges of poor school performance--is an inadequate and culturally biased approach to the study of remedial writers. Surveys different approaches to cognition, and notes problems in applying these theories to the thought processes of poor writers. (MM)

The first part of the article describes the theoretical background of a library planning model based on the concept of right brain/left brain activities. The second describes the implementation of a short term planning model based on this theory. (CLB)

This booklet proposes a model for learning that provides insight into the underlying physiology of the brain and suggests teaching strategies of repetition, variety and pattern, and incubation consistent with that physiology. It discusses how these three strategies can be used to enhance learning in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective…

The brain is the organ of knowledge and the organizer of human abilities, the means of recognizing a face in a crowd, of conversing about experiences and images, of forming thoughts and developing ideas, and of instantly understanding words coming rapidly in conversation. This book seeks to explain how the brain accomplishes all that it does.…

This article reviews the contributions of Norman Geschwind on behavioral neurology. It discusses his novel associations between brain function/structure and behavior and findings from a recent study of 200 individuals with developmental disorders that indicate altered neuroanatomy in dyslexia may be accompanied by altered clinical neurophysiology.…

Explores research on the concepts of intelligences and giftedness. Considers the importance of the brain, its organization and functions, different theories about intelligence and the possibility of boosting it, and changes that occur in brain structure as a consequence of the interactions between genetic traits and experiences. (Author/CR)