Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Earth Science News .




ABOUT US
Curiosity helps the brain acquire new information
by Brooks Hays
Davis, Calif. (UPI) Oct 2, 2014


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

Being curious about something actually changes the way the brain behaves, preparing it to learn something new. In fact, a piqued interest doesn't just ready the brain for the immediately relevant learning material, but also enable our brains to better absorb incidental information too.

In other words, curiosity is a magic elixir that greases our intellectual gears. That's the takeaway, at least, from a new study by a team of researchers led by Dr. Charan Ranganath, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Davis.

Ranganath and his colleagues arrived at their conclusion after giving 19 study participants a trivia test. First, participants were asked to review upwards of 150 questions, rating how much each question intrigued them -- or how curious they were about the answer. Afterwards, the 19 participants were read 112 of the questions and answers, half of which they'd adjudged to be interesting and the other half boring. While being asked to memorize the answers to each question, participants had their brain activity scanned.

In addition to being asked to memorize the answers, participants were also shown and asked to memorize pictures of human faces, unrelated to the trivia questions. Afterwards, participants were given a test to measure their ability to recall the trivia answers and faces.

Researchers found that participants were better able to remember both trivia answers and the unrelated face if they were curious about the question. A follow-up test the next day confirmed the memory-enhancing effects of curiosity.

The MRI scans helped Ranganath and his fellow researchers understand how exactly this was happening inside the brain. Curiosity precipitated increased activity in the hippocampus, one of the areas of the brain most involved in the formation of memories.

"So curiosity recruits the reward system, and interactions between the reward system and the hippocampus seem to put the brain in a state in which you are more likely to learn and retain information, even if that information is not of particular interest or importance," Ranganath explained in a press release.

The findings were detailed this week in the journal Neuron.

"Our findings potentially have far-reaching implications for the public because they reveal insights into how a form of intrinsic motivation -- curiosity -- affects memory," said lead study author Dr. Matthias Gruber, also a neuroscientist at UC Davis. "These findings suggest ways to enhance learning in the classroom and other settings."

.


Related Links
All About Human Beings and How We Got To Be Here






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





ABOUT US
Ancient genome from southern Africa throws light on our origins
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Sep 30, 2014
What can DNA from the skeleton of a man who lived 2,330 years ago in the southernmost tip of Africa tell us about ourselves as humans? A great deal when his DNA profile is one of the 'earliest diverged' - oldest in genetic terms - found to-date in a region where modern humans are believed to have originated roughly 200,000 years ago. The man's maternal DNA, or 'mitochondrial DNA', was sequ ... read more


ABOUT US
Predicting landslides with light

Japan, Mexico to join UN peacekeeping

Germany to host conference on Syrian refugees

IS pillaging Iraqi artefacts, UNESCO warns

ABOUT US
Fed Up With Federal Inaction, States Act Alone on Cap-and-Trade

Microsoft to tap $2-trillion Indian cloud market

How to make stronger, 'greener' cement

Putting the squeeze on quantum information

ABOUT US
Ocean Acidification Could Lead to Collapse of Coral Reefs

600-year-old canoe helps explain migration from East Polynesia to New Zealand

Sensitive youngsters

Great Barrier Reef survival key to indigenous identity

ABOUT US
New mechanism reveals how molecules become trapped in ice

Young superheros call for protection of Chile's glaciers

Sea levels rose 5 meters a century at end of last 5 ice ages

Arctic sea ice helps remove CO2 from the atmosphere

ABOUT US
No sign of health or nutrition problems from GMO livestock feed

China's Ningxia matures as a quality wine producer

Ex-rubber tapper Silva out to land Brazil presidency

Can genetic engineering help food crops better tolerate drought?

ABOUT US
Japan volcano death toll hits 47 as new bodies found

France declares 'natural disaster' in flood-hit towns

Fears over fresh eruption cancel Japan volcano search

Mount St. Helens shows signs of awakening

ABOUT US
Obama maintains child soldier sanctions against Myanmar

C.Africa president calls for lifting UN arms embargo

Whistleblower phone app seeks to outsmart corruption

Gunmen kidnap Chinese national in central Nigeria: police

ABOUT US
DNA analysis suggests humanity has more mothers than fathers

Ancient genome from southern Africa throws light on our origins

New study explains the brain of multitaskers

Politics Divide Coastal Residents' Views of Environment




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.