Trends in Neuroscience and Education最新文献

{"title":"Effects of teaching neuroplasticity on motivation, inhibitory control and task performance, and the role of mindset theory","authors":"Jérémie Blanchette Sarrasin ,&nbsp;Martin Riopel ,&nbsp;Geneviève Allaire-Duquette ,&nbsp;Sophie McMullin ,&nbsp;Élisabeth Bélanger ,&nbsp;Lorie-Marlène Brault Foisy ,&nbsp;Steve Masson","doi":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100257","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100257","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Frequent and persistent errors resist teaching, partly due to difficulties in mobilizing inhibitory control. A promising strategy to address this challenge involves teaching students about neuroplasticity. Such instruction may indeed foster motivational beliefs (often referred to as <em>growth mindset</em>), which in turn could positively influence the mobilization of inhibitory control. This study investigated the effects of a neuroplasticity-based intervention on motivation (including constructs from mindset theory), inhibitory control and task performance.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>The final sample included 44 10–12 y/o students recruited from French-speaking elementary schools in the Montreal area (Québec, Canada), primarily through an online advertisement posted on social media. They were assigned to either the experimental group (neuroplasticity intervention) or the control group. They completed a motivational questionnaire at both pretest and posttest and performed a fraction comparison task while undergoing fMRI scanning.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Results indicated that students who learned about neuroplasticity demonstrated significant improvements in motivation and greater activation of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), a brain region associated with inhibitory control. However, task performance did not significantly differ between groups. Notably, the change in perceived competence was the only motivational variable significantly associated with brain activity related to inhibitory control.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These findings suggest that teaching neuroplasticity can both foster motivation and neural engagement, with perceived competence emerging as a central variable in this relationship. While the intervention did not produce direct effects on academic performance, it remains a promising cost-effective strategy to support students with inhibitory control difficulties and offers valuable insights for future educational interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46228,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neuroscience and Education","volume":"40 ","pages":"Article 100257"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144169198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Large language models outperform humans in identifying neuromyths but show sycophantic behavior in applied contexts","authors":"Eileen Richter ,&nbsp;Markus Wolfgang Hermann Spitzer ,&nbsp;Annabelle Morgan ,&nbsp;Luisa Frede ,&nbsp;Joshua Weidlich ,&nbsp;Korbinian Moeller","doi":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100255","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100255","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><strong>Background</strong>: Neuromyths are widespread among educators, which raises concerns about misconceptions regarding the (neural) principles underlying learning in the educator population. With the increasing use of large language models (LLMs) in education, educators are increasingly relying on these for lesson planning and professional development. Therefore, if LLMs correctly identify neuromyths, they may help to dispute related misconceptions.</div><div><strong>Method</strong>: We evaluated whether LLMs can correctly identify neuromyths and whether they may hint educators to neuromyths in applied contexts when users ask questions comprising related misconceptions. Additionally, we examined whether explicitly prompting LLMs to base their answer on scientific evidence or to correct unsupported assumptions would decrease errors in identifying neuromyths.</div><div><strong>Results</strong>: LLMs outperformed humans in identifying neuromyth statements as used in previous studies. However, when presented with applied user-like questions comprising misconceptions, they struggled to highlight or dispute these. Interestingly, explicitly asking LLMs to correct unsupported assumptions increased the likelihood that misconceptions were flagged considerably, while prompting the models to rely on scientific evidence had only little effects.</div><div><strong>Conclusion</strong>: While LLMs outperformed humans at identifying isolated neuromyth statements, they struggled to hint users towards the same misconception when they were included in more applied user-like questions—presumably due to LLMs’ tendency toward sycophantic responses. This limitation suggests that, despite their potential, LLMs are not yet a reliable safeguard against the spread of neuromyths in educational settings. However, when users explicitly prompt LLMs to correct unsupported assumptions—an approach that may initially seem counterintuitive–this effectively reduced sycophantic responses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46228,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neuroscience and Education","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100255"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143927632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What do Chinese psychology majors know about brain research?","authors":"Adam John Privitera ,&nbsp;Jue Wang ,&nbsp;Xin Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100254","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100254","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>China has recently emerged as a neuroscience leader. Given the absence of undergraduate neuroscience programs at most Chinese universities, future neuroscientists are likely to be recruited from psychology departments. Consequently, the question of whether these students possess neuroliteracy, an understanding about the brain and its functions, that may support their future training is an interesting topic for investigation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We administered a neuroliteracy survey to a sample of undergraduate psychology majors enrolled in Chinese public universities (<em>n</em> = 546).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Students were more accurate when identifying true statements, especially those related to plasticity, but performed worse when evaluating the authenticity of false statements. News reading was associated with higher overall neuroliteracy, and higher accuracy on false statements.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This is the first investigation of neuroliteracy conducted in a student sample in China, with implications for the design of undergraduate psychology programs to support the development of this competency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46228,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neuroscience and Education","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100254"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143904463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Neural responses to errors in models and their relevance for longer term learning among undergraduate life sciences students","authors":"Caron A.C. Clark ,&nbsp;Mei Grace Behrendt ,&nbsp;Tammy Long ,&nbsp;Joseph T. Dauer","doi":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100253","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100253","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Error detection and inhibition are deemed central to STEM learning, although there is little research on the neural bases of these processes and their role in the developing expertise of life sciences students.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Fifty undergraduate life sciences students performed a biology model evaluation task and a general go/no-go inhibition task during functional MRI. A year later, they completed a biology model evaluation task outside the scanner.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Students showed increased ACC and bilateral inferior frontal/insula activity when viewing models with, vs. without, conceptual errors. Multivariate activation patterns showed little correspondence across the fMRI model and go/no-go tasks. Functional connectivity between the ACC and lateral PFC correlated with course grades, while activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus/insula predicted later model evaluation performance.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Students who activate lateral PFC regions during scientific error detection may show better concept retention, although this neural activity may not reflect inhibitory control.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46228,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neuroscience and Education","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100253"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143927631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Longitudinal study on the impact of short-term radiological interpretation training on resting-state brain network hubs","authors":"Hongmei Wang ,&nbsp;Renhuan Yao ,&nbsp;Xiaoyan Zhang ,&nbsp;Minghao Dong ,&nbsp;Chenwang Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100252","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100252","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Radiological expertise develops through extensive experience in specific imaging modalities. While previous research has focused on long-term learning and neural mechanisms of expertise, the effects of short-term radiological training on resting-state neural networks remain underexplored. This study investigates the impact of four weeks of radiological interpretation training on resting-state neural networks in 32 radiology interns. Using behavioral assessments and resting-state fMRI data, a Recursive Feature Elimination Support Vector Machine (RFE-SVM) model achieved 82% accuracy in classifying data from the pre- and post-training phases. Key brain regions linked to attention, decision-making, working memory, and visual processing were identified, providing insights into how short-term training reshapes intrinsic brain networks and facilitates rapid adaptation to new skills. These findings also lay a theoretical foundation for designing more effective training programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46228,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neuroscience and Education","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100252"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143838677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Previous neuroscience exposure predicts self-efficacy among undergraduate students","authors":"Ana Julia Ribeiro ,&nbsp;Rafael Naime Ruggiero ,&nbsp;Fernando Eduardo Padovan-Neto","doi":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100251","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100251","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Academic self-efficacy refers to undergraduates' beliefs in their abilities to execute the necessary actions to meet academic goals. Studies suggest that academic self-efficacy is essential to undergraduates’ development, affecting their integration, motivation, and academic success. Research also indicates that understanding general neuroscience concepts can shape the motivation to overcome challenges and succeed in the educational setting. However, the relationship between self-efficacy in higher education and exposure to neuroscience is still under-researched in the scientific literature. This study aims to examine prior exposure to neuroscience and identify predictors of self-efficacy among undergraduate students.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Data from 303 undergraduates were collected through online surveys, covering information on sociodemographics and prior exposure to neuroscience (i.e., no exposure, extracurricular neuroscience courses, neuroscience-related classes, and both). Additionally, a general neuroscience knowledge questionnaire was conducted to ascertain students' familiarity with the subject, and the Higher Education Self-Efficacy Scale (HESE) was used to measure perceptions of self-efficacy within the context of higher education. Descriptive and inferential analyses (<em>t</em>-test and one-way ANOVA) compared general neuroscience knowledge and HESE scores between groups, while linear regression identified HESE predictors.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Performance on the general neuroscience knowledge questionnaire was consistent across gender, institution type, and field of study, but there was a significant difference among the levels of exposure to neuroscience (<em>F</em>_(3,299) = 8.45, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001, <em>η²</em> = 0.08). Self-efficacy was higher in private institution students (<em>t</em>₍₃₀₁₎ = 4.07, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001, <em>d</em> = 0.66) and those with more neuroscience exposure (i.e., both neuroscience-related classes and extracurricular neuroscience courses) (<em>F</em>_(3,299) = 3.73, <em>p</em> = 0.01, <em>η²</em> = 0.04). Regression models indicated institution type (i.e., private) and neuroscience exposure (i.e., neuroscience-related classes, and both neuroscience-related classes and extracurricular neuroscience courses) as significant self-efficacy predictors (adjusted <em>R²</em> = 0.07, <em>F</em>_(5,297) = 5.21, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The results present novel findings for the field of neuroeducation, highlighting the significant relationship between previous exposure to neuroscience and increased self-efficacy in undergraduate students. The study emphasizes the need for neuroeducation programs for undergraduates, equipping them with tools to support their academic success and personal well-being.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46228,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neuroscience and Education","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100251"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143453937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seen through teachers’ eyes: Neuromyths and their application in Malaysian classrooms","authors":"Muhammad Syawal Amran ,&nbsp;Werner Sommer","doi":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100250","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100250","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Misconceptions about neuroscience among teachers and their application to education may lead to ineffective teaching strategies and waste valuable resources. The main objective of this paper is to study neuroscience knowledge, beliefs in neuromyths and their application in Malaysian classrooms. An online survey was conducted among (<em>n</em> = 501) school teachers, covering 14 neurofacts, four neuromyth, and their application in education. Results show more than 75 % of teachers of all levels of experience endorsed the unfounded idea that 'Individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred learning style and 80 % of these teachers endorsed applying the VAK idea in their teaching practice. The findings also show that neuromyth agreement was positively correlated with practice agreement (<em>r</em> = 0.181, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). Interestingly, numerous studies from various countries have highlighted the prevalence of neuromyths, and Malaysia is no exception and consistent across countries, particularly regarding beliefs about learning styles. With the growing popularity of pseudoscientific practice among school teachers worldwide, many educators who are enthusiastic about possible applications of neuroscience findings in the classroom find it difficult to distinguish pseudoscience from scientific facts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46228,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neuroscience and Education","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100250"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143420301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In-service teachers’ neuroscience literacy in Hungary: A large-scale cross-sectional study","authors":"Tamás Csányi ,&nbsp;Katalin Kälbli ,&nbsp;Mónika Kaj ,&nbsp;Bence Kas ,&nbsp;Tamás Berki ,&nbsp;Julianna Vig","doi":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100249","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100249","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>This is the first study that assesses neuroliteracy, namely the prevalence of neuromyths (NMs) and general knowledge about the brain (GKAB) among Hungarian in-service teachers.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Participants (<em>n</em> = 734) completed an online survey, adapted from a widely used neuroliteracy questionnaire. A scoping review was conducted for international comparison. Associations between prevalence of NMs and predictor factors were analyzed by logistic regression.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The NM error score was 59.7 %, while the correct response score to GKAB was 77.1 %. Compared with other countries, we found the fifth highest level of NM endorsement, but the third most favorable score in GKAB. Acceptance of NMs was significantly associated with reading scientific journals and perceived neuroliteracy.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Hungarian in-service teachers are more likely to believe in neuromyths (especially those related to motor functions) compared with most other countries. Further studies should investigate the impact of the prevalence of motor therapies on the belief in NMs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46228,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neuroscience and Education","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100249"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143203439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lu.i – A low-cost electronic neuron for education and outreach","authors":"Yannik Stradmann ,&nbsp;Julian Göltz ,&nbsp;Mihai A. Petrovici ,&nbsp;Johannes Schemmel ,&nbsp;Sebastian Billaudelle","doi":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100248","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100248","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With increasing presence of science throughout all parts of society, there are rising expectations for researchers to effectively communicate their work and for teachers to discuss contemporary findings in their classrooms. While the community can resort to established teaching aids for the fundamental concepts of most natural sciences, there is need for similarly illustrative demonstrators in neuroscience. We therefore introduce Lu.i: a parametrizable electronic implementation of the leaky integrate-and-fire neuron model in an engaging form factor. These palm-sized neurons can be used to visualize and experience the dynamics of individual cells and small networks. When stimulated with sensory input, Lu.i demonstrates brain-inspired information processing in the hands of a student. As such, it is actively used at workshops, in classrooms, and for science communication. As a versatile tool for teaching and outreach, Lu.i nurtures the comprehension of neuroscience research and neuromorphic engineering among future generations of scientists and the general public.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46228,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neuroscience and Education","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100248"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143395910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early childhood educators’ use of neuroscience: Knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and professional learning","authors":"Kate E. Williams ,&nbsp;Tanya Burr ,&nbsp;Lyra L'Estrange ,&nbsp;Kerryann Walsh","doi":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100247","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tine.2025.100247","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Knowledge of early brain development is increasingly important in early childhood education, but no studies have focussed solely on the neuroscience knowledge and attitudes of early childhood educators.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>524 Australian early childhood educators completed a survey measuring their neuroscience knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy, sources of knowledge, and perspectives on training needs.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Although educators held relevant understandings, there was widespread belief in ‘neuromyths’. Participants held strong positive attitudes toward neuroscience regardless of their socio-demographic background. Participants who held a Bachelor degree or higher, and those in a leadership position, had higher neuro-literacy and self-efficacy. Less than a quarter reported receiving adequate neuroscience content in their pre-service training.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>While there is a policy mandate and positive attitudes toward using neuroscience in early childhood education, the sector is currently hampered by limited pre-service training content, and inadequate in-service professional learning. Further transdisciplinary work is required to address these gaps.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46228,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neuroscience and Education","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100247"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143096911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}