When physicists with a Ph.D. confront naive ideas in their domain of expertise, MFG and IFG associated with inhibitory control are significantly more activated by incongruent than congruent statements¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r1–r2 · q1–q3
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2026: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In physics, incongruent statements recruited the left IFG, bilateral MFG, left supplementary motor area, left superior frontal gyrus and left middle occipital gyrus more than congruent statements. → Geneviève Allaire-Duquette 2021 q3 i? The authors interpret the frontal recruitment as evidence of increased cognitive control needed to suppress the dominant naive response. → Geneviève Allaire-Duquette 2021 (2)

Evidence¶

Geneviève Allaire-Duquette 2021¶

Geneviève Allaire-Duquette, Lorie-Marlène Brault Foisy, Patrice Potvin, Martin Riopel, Marilyne Larose, Steve Masson. (2021). An fMRI study of scientists with a Ph.D. in physics confronted with naive ideas in science. npj Science of Learning 6:11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-021-00091-x

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Physics-domain t-contrasts in the 25-participant fMRI study; areas more activated for incongruent than congruent statements included left supplementary motor area, left superior frontal gyrus, bilateral MFG, left IFG and left middle occipital gyrus, while only the right middle occipital gyrus was more activated for congruent statements.

"Two brain areas, the MFG and IFG, associated with inhibitory control mechanisms were signi ficantly more activated by incongruent statements."

Geneviève Allaire-Duquette 2021 (2)¶

Geneviève Allaire-Duquette, Lorie-Marlène Brault Foisy, Patrice Potvin, Martin Riopel, Marilyne Larose, Steve Masson. (2021). An fMRI study of scientists with a Ph.D. in physics confronted with naive ideas in science. npj Science of Learning 6:11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-021-00091-x

q1 · i? · causal · r1

Authors' interpretation in the discussion: the greater involvement of frontal and prefrontal regions is read as evidence of increased attentional demand and suppression of the prepotent naive response; this is an interpretive claim, not a tested result.

"One plausible explanation is enhanced recruitment of cognitive control processes for suppressing a dominant response, the naive idea, and selecting a relevant but less salient response."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• When physicists with a Ph.D. judge incongruent statements in biology, where they hold basic expertise, activation overlaps with inhibitory-control regions including left IFG, ACC, insula and superior frontal gyrus — related
• An EXPERTISE × CONGRUENCY interaction in bilateral dorsal ACC shows the congruency effect on BOLD signal is larger for statements in biology, where participants hold basic expertise, than in physics — related
• Judging incongruent statements that trigger naive ideas recruits left IFG, bilateral superior frontal gyrus and bilateral ACC more than judging matched congruent statements — related
• Naive science ideas are extremely persistent and probably never disappear even after extensive training such as a Ph.D. in physics, so conceptual change as replacement may never truly be achieved — related
• Scientists with a Ph.D. in physics are less accurate when judging the scientific value of incongruent statements that trigger naive ideas than matched congruent statements, in both physics and biology — related
• Scientists with a Ph.D. in physics respond more slowly to incongruent statements than to matched congruent statements, with a response-time increase in physics twice as large as in biology — related
• Physicists with a Ph.D. are slightly more accurate judging physics statements than biology statements (d = 0.5) — related
• Alternative conceptions persist alongside scientific conceptions and resist change even after instruction — related
• Reading supernatural scenarios with unexpected realistic characters activates the left preCG, poCG and IFG more than reading supernatural scenarios with fictional characters — related