Have you ever been stuck on a problem in math, for what felt like ages, only to feel dumbfounded when you finally get the answer? It has happened to me more than once. And I bet it has happened to you as well. That moment when you go from "...what in the hell?' to "EUREKA!!" is such an exciting feeling. Scientists have historically struggled to deconstruct an accurate mental procedure that occurs in the brain when figuring out the problem. Using an innovative combination of brain-imaging analysis, researchers have captured four fleeting stages of creative thinking in math. John R. Anderson, a professor of psychology and computer science in Carnegie Mellon University, and his team demonstrated a method for reconstructing how the brain moves from understanding a problem to solving, and the time it takes for each stage. Encoding (downloading), planning (strategizing), solving (performing the math), and responding (typing out the answer) are the four stages found in the imaging analysis. This analysis can help us further comprehend the mind of the student. It can also give professors an insight when creating their curriculum.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/29/science/brain-scans-math.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Ftrilobites&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=10&pgtype=collection
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-are-we-thinking-when/
This study is really interesting. I wonder what else they will do with this type of technology! It could be possible to use this to analyze the brains of students who struggle with math and possibly find a way to help them.
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