Curriculum-related neural changes during spatial scanning predict and mediate transfer to verbal reasoning¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2022 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Longitudinal increases in aIPS and IPL activity during EFT were strongly associated with improvement in spatial scanning performance. → Cortes 2022 q2 i? The same EFT neural changes (ΔaIPS_EFT, ΔIPL_EFT) predicted improvement in verbal reasoning and each mediated the curriculum-to-reasoning transfer association. → Cortes 2022 (2)

Evidence¶

Cortes 2022¶

Cortes, R. A., Peterson, E. G., Kraemer, D. J. M., Kolvoord, R. A., Uttal, D. H., Dinh, N., Weinberger, A. B., Daker, R. J., Lyons, I. M., Goldman, D., & Green, A. E. (2022). Transfer from spatial education to verbal reasoning and prediction of transfer from learning-related neural change. Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abo3555

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Regression in the 63 fMRI participants controlling for PSAT, GPA, and gender: the more activity in each PPC region increased during EFT, the more students improved in spatial scanning. Activity changes in frontal and premotor regions were not strongly associated with ΔEFT (all β ≤ 0.201, all P ≥ 0.091).

"Longitudinal change in each of the observed PPC regions, i.e., change in aIPS activity (ΔaIPS_EFT) and change in IPL activity (ΔIPL_EFT), was strongly associated with ΔEFT (all β ≥ 0.424, all P < 0.001; tables S26 and S27)."

Cortes 2022 (2)¶

Cortes, R. A., Peterson, E. G., Kraemer, D. J. M., Kolvoord, R. A., Uttal, D. H., Dinh, N., Weinberger, A. B., Daker, R. J., Lyons, I. M., Goldman, D., & Green, A. E. (2022). Transfer from spatial education to verbal reasoning and prediction of transfer from learning-related neural change. Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abo3555

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Neural changes during the spatial scanning task predicted far transfer to the separate Reasoning task. Mediation analyses showed ΔaIPS_EFT mediated 41% of total variance (P < 0.001) and ΔIPL_EFT 49% (P < 0.001) of the curriculum-to-reasoning association. Only regression coefficients are printed, so impact is null.

"Consistent with MMT, both of the spatial curriculum–related longitudinal changes in PPC activity identified for EFT (ΔaIPS_EFT and ΔIPL_EFT) were strongly associated with change in Reasoning performance (ΔReasoning; All β ≥ 0.492, all P < 0.001; tables S28 to S29)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The spatial curriculum produced longitudinal neural changes during reasoning: increased aIPS activity, increased SpatialMap-to-DLPFC connectivity, and increased nonspatial-to-spatial representational similarity — related
• Improvement in spatial scanning predicts and mediates the curriculum's transfer effect to verbal reasoning — related
• Neural change during spatial scanning predicts verbal reasoning transfer better than traditional performance-based assessments, and best prediction combines both — related
• The spatial curriculum produced near transfer to improved spatial scanning and increased self-reported spatial habits of mind, but not to mental rotation — related
• A spatial STEM curriculum yields far transfer to improved verbal deductive reasoning in high school students, including on nonspatial relation trials — related