 |
|
Visual Learners Convert Words to Pictures in the Brain And Vice Versa, Says Penn Psychology Study
March 25, 2009PHILADELPHIA -- A University of Pennsylvania psychology study, using functional magnetic resonance imaging technology to scan the brain, reveals that people who consider themselves visual learners, as opposed to verbal learners, have a tendency to convert linguistically presented information into a visual mental representation. The more strongly an individual identified with the visual cognitive style, the more that individual activated the visual cortex when reading words.
The opposite also appears to be true from the study's results.
Those participants who considered themselves verbal learners were found under fMRI to have brain activity in a region associated with phonological cognition when faced with a picture, suggesting they have a tendency to convert pictorial information into linguistic representations.
The study was presented this week at the 16th Annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society Meeting.
Future research based on the findings from this study may be able to determine whether cognitive styles are something one is predisposed to or can learn. Depending on the flexibility with which one can adopt a style, educators could cater to one style over another to improve learning.
It has long been thought that propensities for visual or verbal learning styles influence how children acquire knowledge successfully and how adults reason in every-day life; however, there was no empirical link to this hypothesis from cognitive neuroscience.
"Often, job applicants are required to offer opinion on whether they consider themselves visual or verbal learners," Sharon Thompson-Schill, professor in the Department of Psychology and a member of Penn's Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, said. "Some school districts even require students to wear buttons identifying themselves as visual or verbal learners. Until this study, however, there was no direct evidence linking these cognitive styles to specific neural systems in the brain."
In the Penn study, visual and verbal cognitive styles were measured in 18 subjects by a self-report exam called the Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, a standard intelligence test used here to grade visual against verbal learning styles, then measured cognitive abilities. Participants subsequently participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment.
During the fMRI session, participants performed a novel psychological task, a more sophisticated version of the childhood board game Memory, involving both word-based and picture-based feature-matching conditions designed to permit the use of either a visual or a verbal processing style.
Results of the study demonstrated a pattern of activity in modality-specific areas of the brain that distinguished visual from verbal cognitive styles. The areas did correspond with prior knowledge of brain utilization. During word-based tasks, activity in a functionally defined brain region that responded to viewing pictorial stimuli, the fusiform gyrus, correlated with self-reported visualizer ratings on the VVQ test.
In contrast, activity in a phonologically related brain region, the supramarginal gyrus, correlated with the verbalizer dimension of the VVQ during the picture-based condition. These findings suggest that modality-specific cortical activity underlies processing in visual and verbal cognitive styles.
The study, appearing in the current issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, was conducted by Thompson-Schill and was led by post-doctoral fellow David Kraemer and co-authored by Lauren Rosenberg.
It was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
University of Pennsylvania
The study was presented this week at the 16th Annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society Meeting.
Future research based on the findings from this study may be able to determine whether cognitive styles are something one is predisposed to or can learn. Depending on the flexibility with which one can adopt a style, educators could cater to one style over another to improve learning.
It has long been thought that propensities for visual or verbal learning styles influence how children acquire knowledge successfully and how adults reason in every-day life; however, there was no empirical link to this hypothesis from cognitive neuroscience.
"Often, job applicants are required to offer opinion on whether they consider themselves visual or verbal learners," Sharon Thompson-Schill, professor in the Department of Psychology and a member of Penn's Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, said. "Some school districts even require students to wear buttons identifying themselves as visual or verbal learners. Until this study, however, there was no direct evidence linking these cognitive styles to specific neural systems in the brain."
In the Penn study, visual and verbal cognitive styles were measured in 18 subjects by a self-report exam called the Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, a standard intelligence test used here to grade visual against verbal learning styles, then measured cognitive abilities. Participants subsequently participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment.
During the fMRI session, participants performed a novel psychological task, a more sophisticated version of the childhood board game Memory, involving both word-based and picture-based feature-matching conditions designed to permit the use of either a visual or a verbal processing style.
Results of the study demonstrated a pattern of activity in modality-specific areas of the brain that distinguished visual from verbal cognitive styles. The areas did correspond with prior knowledge of brain utilization. During word-based tasks, activity in a functionally defined brain region that responded to viewing pictorial stimuli, the fusiform gyrus, correlated with self-reported visualizer ratings on the VVQ test.
In contrast, activity in a phonologically related brain region, the supramarginal gyrus, correlated with the verbalizer dimension of the VVQ during the picture-based condition. These findings suggest that modality-specific cortical activity underlies processing in visual and verbal cognitive styles.
The study, appearing in the current issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, was conducted by Thompson-Schill and was led by post-doctoral fellow David Kraemer and co-authored by Lauren Rosenberg.
It was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
University of Pennsylvania
Big-brained animals evolve faster
Ever since Darwin, evolutionary biologists have wondered why some lineages have diversified more than others. A classical explanation is that a higher rate of diversification reflects increased ecological opportunities that led to a rapid adaptive radiation of a clade.
More Cognitive Styles Current Events and Cognitive Styles News Articles
 |
Cognitive Styles and Learning Strategies: Understanding Style Differences in Learning and Behavior by Riding (Author) This volume reviews and integrates research on style differences in learning behaviour and describes the "cognitive styles analysis" which provides a simple and effective method of assessing style in children and adults. As both a textbook and a source of reference for professionals working in a range of contexts, it aims to help teachers and trainers reflect on and assess their effectiveness. The authors provide insights into personal and professional behaviour for cousellors and personnel professionals, and offer a framework for future research for psychologists. |
 |
I have issues Distressed Style Logo Kids T Shirt 7T-Green by 99 Volts |
 |
Activities for the Differentiated Classroom: Kindergarten by Gayle H. Gregory (Author), Carolyn M. Chapman (Author) ((Teachers Catalog, Series Description, C Copy)) ((Dealers Catalog, Series Description, C Copy)) Featuring practical, ready-to-use activities, research-based strategies, reproducibles, and much more, these valuable resources help teachers in today's differentiated classrooms meet their students' individual needs. |
|
|
I have issues Distressed Style Logo Kids T Shirt Youth Small-Red by 99 Volts |
 |
Cognitive Styles and Classroom Learning by Harry Morgan (Author) Cognitive style theory suggests that individuals utilize different patterns in acquiring knowledge. This book describes various styles of processing information that are employed by children as they receive new information in various settings--especially in teaching/learning situations. Cognitive style is not an indication of one's level of intelligence, but a description of the unique strategies that learners employ in acquiring new information. This book describes individual differences that have been documented through scholarly investigations of cognitive styles, highlights philosophical and theoretical foundations of cognitive style concepts, and pinpoints implications for classroom practice. |
 |
Prevagen Aequorin, 30-Count Bottle by Prevagen PrevagenTM is a ground breaking dietary supplement from a jellyfish and is designed to fight aging. Scientific studies show a decrease in cellular death by up to 50 percent when treated with Prevagen. Prevagen is the first supplement to address aging through the restoration of calcium-binding proteins. Replenish age-fighting proteins, feel younger, and have more energy with Prevagen. You lose it, Prevagen Replaces it Throughout the aging process your body loses its ability to make calcium-binding proteins.* The lack of these protective proteins can result in the death of your cells that are involved in learning and memory. Prevagen is designed to replace these proteins and help you fight aging.* The animation to the left demonstrates how Prevagen can replenish... |
 |
Perspectives on Thinking, Learning, and Cognitive Styles (The Educational Psychology Series) by Robert J. Sternberg (Editor), Li-fang Zhang (Editor) This volume presents the most comprehensive, balanced, and up-to-date coverage of theory and research on cognitive, thinking, and learning styles, in a way that: * represents diverse theoretical perspectives; * includes solid empirical evidence testing the validity of these perspectives; and * shows the application of these perspectives to school situations, as well as situations involving other kinds of organizations. International representation is emphasized, with chapters from almost every major leader in the field of styles. Each chapter author has contributed serious theory and/or published empirical data--work that is primarily commercial or that implements the theories of others. The book's central premise is that cognitive, learning, and thinking... |
 |
The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within, Second Edition by Edward R. Tufte (Author) |
 |
Discover Your Child's Learning Style: Children Learn in Unique Ways - Here's the Key to Every Child's Learning Success by Mariaemma Willis M.S. (Author), Victoria Kindle Hodson M.A. (Author) Help Your Child Discover the Joy of Learning Does your child learn best in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Does his reading comprehension increase or decrease when music is played in the background? Does she prefer to study alone or with others? According to nationally respected educators Mariaemma Willis and Victoria Kindle Hodson, our children process information in a multitude of unique ways. What works best for one child is often counterproductive for others. By trying to force all children into the same learning mode we unfairly short-circuit their education as well as their intellectual development. Discover Your Child's Learning Style shows you how to assess and nurture your child's individual learning potential based on his or her talents, interests, disposition,... |
 |
Thinking Styles by Robert J. Sternberg PhD (Author), Robert J. Sternberg (Author) In our society, the recognition of talent depends largely on idealized and entrenched perceptions of academic achievement and job performance. In Thinking Styles, psychologist Robert Sternberg argues that ability often goes unappreciated and uncultivated not because of lack of talent, but because of conflicting styles of thinking and learning. Using a variety of examples that range from scientific studies to personal anecdotes, Dr. Sternberg presents a theory of thinking styles that aims to explain why aptitude tests, school grades, and classroom performance often fail to identify real ability. He believes that criteria for intelligence in both school and the workplace are unfortunately based on the ability to conform rather than to learn. He takes this theory a step farther by stating... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |