This indicates that the quality of parent/child interactions and the development of empathy, which helps us focus on social cues, are essential for students entering school with age-appropriate executive functioning. #parenting #earlyeducation #executivefunction

Werchan and colleagues found that children who exhibit a high level of socially directed attention early in life tend to show higher levels of executive function later on.

This means that students who struggle with subject matter are at greater risk of experiencing cognitive load, causing a loss of focus. A proven way to reduce cognitive load and mind wandering is to increase student motivation and interest. #education #teachers #neuroscience

Mind wandering contributes to performance declines with greater time-on-task. Cognitive control not only diminishes over time, but also increases when students experience cognitive load, accelerating performance declines and mind wandering.

Our bodies work unconsciously to support our understanding. Participants wore motion sensors while imagining future or past events. When recalling the past, they swayed backward about 2 mm; when thinking about the future, they leaned forward about 3 mm. #neuroscience #education

However, the longitudinal study also revealed that when individuals from advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds experienced cognitive decline, the decline was rapid. #aging #neuroscience

Childhood socioeconomic disadvantage was consistently shown to reduce cognitive function between ages 50 and 96. The researchers examined two common cognitive issues: delayed recall and verbal fluency.

Literacy strengthens white matter connections, creating an anatomical link between phonemic and graphemic representations. It reorganizes the brain in a way that distinguishes the thinking processes of readers from those of nonreaders. #literacy #neuroscience

Literacy acquisition transforms the human brain. It enhances visual processing and reorganizes the ventral occipito-temporal pathway to respond better to written characters. As a result, our responses to faces shift toward the right hemisphere.

Reduced white matter due to early childhood adversity is linked to difficulties in later adolescence with mental arithmetic and receptive language. #trauma #risk #education

Sofia Carozza and colleagues discovered that white matter development was slowed in the brains of 9- and 10-year-old children exposed to various experiences, including prenatal risk factors, interpersonal adversity, household economic hardship, and neighborhood adversity.

This further supports the importance of structured play in early grade school for raising healthy, well-rounded students. #play #elementryschool #teachers

A study by Pascual of children aged 0-3 found that motor play is linked to the prevention of later difficulties in reading, writing, and attention. There is evidence that physical activity is connected to improvements in memory, motivation, and self-regulation.

The amygdala instantly judges whether someone is trustworthy or not when it evaluates faces. This process is conscious & subconscious w everyone we meet. You never get another chance to make a first impression. Faces that show contentment trigger a positive amygdala response.

Cognitive and psychological problems are more likely to be present at birth each generation a family remains in poverty. Poverty is becoming a condition that the longer you remain in it, the less capacity you have to escape it. #poverty #education

When information follows a pattern similar to our heartbeat rhythm, it’s often overlooked. Teachers who speak in a steady, rhythmic pattern may struggle to maintain students’ attention. Therefore, vary your voice tones, create learning experiences that sometimes excite.

The human brain is designed to conceal awareness of our heartbeat because constant awareness of it could be distracting. We usually only become aware of our heartbeats during moments of fear or excitement. The way the heart beats can influence how we learn.

Modeling is a natural form of instruction for the human brain. When actions are modeled, mirror neurons trigger motor neurons as if we are doing the action, providing practice and improving skills. Showing students how seems to produce superior results than explanation alone.

Longitudinal studies have shown that maternal perinatal depression is linked to reduced development of gray matter during infancy, which negatively affects executive functions such as inhibition, shifting, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. #depression #neuroscience

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