Young Children's Changing Conceptualizations of Brain Function: Implications for Teaching Neuroscience in Early Elementary Settings

Abstract

Research Findings: Two exploratory studies explored young children's views of brain function and whether these views can be modified through exposure to a brief classroom intervention. In Study 1, children aged 4–13 years reported that the brain is used for “thinking,” although older children were more likely than younger children to also endorse a role for the brain in sensory activities such as seeing, smelling, or tasting. This replicates prior findings that young children view brain functioning as being limited to a role in intellectual activities. Study 2 showed that this narrow view of brain function could be broadened through a brief classroom intervention with 1st graders that emphasized connections between the brain and body. Compared with a control condition, the intervention significantly increased awareness of the brain's involvement in sensory experiences, although it had no effect on children's responses to stories involving the magical transformation of a protagonist's brain. Practice or Policy: Basic aspects of brain function can be taught at the elementary level without requiring a great deal of specialized knowledge on the part of teachers. Such instruction could form an important part of early foundational learning about human biology, an area that is currently neglected in early educational curricula.