The brain makes subtle associations between what it is studying and the background sensations it has at the time, the authors say, regardless of whether those perceptions are conscious. It colors the terms of the Versailles Treaty with the wasted fluorescent glow of the dorm study room, say; or the elements of the Marshall Plan with the jade-curtain shade of the willow tree in the backyard. Forcing the brain to make multiple associations with the same material may, in effect, give that information more neural scaffolding. (Benedict Carey at NYT)
Under what conditions does studying become most effective? Do schools help students learn about those conditions?
well, shoot, nancy--i was just logging on to the blog to do an entry on this. you ARE the internet!
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