Education shapes the structure of semantic memory and impacts creative thinking

Solange Denervaud,Roger E Beaty,Alexander P Christensen,Yoed N Kenett

doi:10.1038/s41539-021-00113-8

Abstract

Education is central to the acquisition of knowledge, such as when children learn new concepts. It is unknown, however, whether educational differences impact not only what concepts children learn, but how those concepts come to be represented in semantic memory—a system that supports higher cognitive functions, such as creative thinking. Here we leverage computational network science tools to study hidden knowledge structures of 67 Swiss schoolchildren from two distinct educational backgrounds—Montessori and traditional, matched on socioeconomic factors and nonverbal intelligence—to examine how educational experience shape semantic memory and creative thinking. We find that children experiencing Montessori education show a more flexible semantic network structure (high connectivity/short paths between concepts, less modularity) alongside higher scores on creative thinking tests. The findings indicate that education impacts how children represent concepts in semantic memory and suggest that different educational experiences can affect higher cognitive functions, including creative thinking.

Highlights

Experience is of paramount importance for later cognitive and emotional outcomes[1]
Montessori and traditional education can both be of high quality, but their approaches differ with respect to concept learning—an important feature of cognitive development supporting the acquisition of new vocabulary and crystallized knowledge
We focused on children experiencing a common child-centered-constructivist education (i.e., Montessori) versus traditional education

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Experience is of paramount importance for later cognitive and emotional outcomes[1]. We apply network science methods to investigate how different educational approaches, namely traditional and Montessori approaches, shape 5–12-year-old children’s internal knowledge representation in semantic memory (i.e., concept learning) and their ability to think flexibly and creatively. Less creative individuals show a more rigid memory structure, marked in part by high modularity of concepts into canonical subcategories in memory (e.g., animals) Together, these data suggest that a more flexible knowledge representation is associated with important outcomes, with likely implications for cognition and behavior across the lifespan. Montessori classes learn through self-directed engagement in Network analysis naturalistic and interdisciplinary activities, we hypothesize that semantic concept integration would diverge from the more traditional, adult-directed curriculum, in being more enriched (higher CC), interconnected (shorter ASPL), and flexible (lower Q). Compared to the traditional group, the semantic network of the Montessori group was more interconnected (higher CC), with shorter paths between concepts (lower ASPL) and fewer subcommunities (lower Q)

DISCUSSION

Findings

Participants