Cognitive foundations of STEM learning
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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas play a critical role in addressing today’s economic, health, environmental, and social challenges. However, many people struggle to develop strong STEM skills, with mathematics at the core of these difficulties. Recent reports suggest that even college students at highly competitive universities can fail to solve middle-school-level mathematics problems.
Our research is focused on characterizing cognitive processes that support math learning and help students succeed.
Ultimately, our goal is to use this knowledge to improve mathematics education and, as a consequence, promote stronger STEM development.
In particular, we focus on questions such as:
What brain regions and neural mechanisms support mathematics learning?
How does early understanding of quantities (for example, knowing that three is less than four, or that the numeral “3” stands for three objects) support later learning in areas like fractions and algebra?
How do skills like attention, memory, and language influence math learning?
How do quantity understanding and these broader cognitive skills work together? For example, how might different combinations of cognitive strengths and challenges, like weaker magnitude understanding but strong attention skills or vice-versa, shape mathematics learning?
Emotional factors influencing STEM learning
Despite its importance, the acquisition of STEM skills is challenging for many people. Often, these challenges are accompanied by negative feelings about mathematics.
Mathematics anxiety is the feeling of fear, tension, or worry towards mathematics. People with high mathematics anxiety tend to avoid mathematics, and experience negative thoughts when solving mathematics problems.
Our research seeks to better understand math anxiety, examine how it affects different areas of math learning, and explore ways to reduce its impact.
In particular, we focus on question such as:
What brain regions and neural mechanisms are associated with mathematics anxiety?
How is the cause-effect relation between mathematics anxiety and mathematics learning difficulties? Does anxiety lead to learning challenges, or do learning difficulties increase anxiety?
How does math anxiety influence the acquisition of different mathematics skills, such as quantity understanding, whole-numbers, fractions, and algebra?
How can we reduce mathematics anxiety and support more positive mathematics learning experiences?
Characterizing learning disorders
Neurodiverse people are more vulnerable to experiencing difficulties in acquiring foundational STEM skills than people with typical development. In particular, children diagnosed with dyslexia and dyscalculia are highly at risk for STEM difficulties.
Dyslexia is characterized by persistent difficulties in learning to read, and dyscalculia is characterized by persistent difficulties in mathematics learning.
Even though dyslexia and dyscalculia are different, they often co-occur. Frequently, people with dyslexia experience mathematics difficulties and people with dyscalculia experience difficulties with language skills.
Our research aims to characterize these neurodiverse profiles, in order to support more effect learning and better mental health.
In particular, we focus on question such as:
How is the neural, cognitive, and emotional profiles of people with dyslexia and dyscalculia across developmental stages?
Why do dyslexia and dyscalculia often co-occur?
What types of teaching interventions and psychotherapy better support children with dyslexia and dyscalculia?
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