How curiosity changes the brain to
enhance learning
The
more curious we are about a topic, the easier it is to learn information about
that topic. New research publishing online October 2 in the Cell Press journal Neuron provides
insights into what happens in our brains when curiosity is piqued. The findings
could help scientists find ways to enhance overall learning and memory in both
healthy individuals and those with neurological conditions.
"Our
findings potentially have far-reaching implications for the public because they
reveal insights into how a form of intrinsic motivation -- curiosity -- affects
memory. These findings suggest ways to enhance learning in the classroom and
other settings," says lead author Dr. Matthias Gruber, of University of
California at Davis.
Afterwards, participants performed a surprise recognition memory test for the
faces that were presented, followed by a memory test for the answers to the
trivia questions. During certain parts of the study, participants had their brains
scanned via functional magnetic resonance imaging.
The
study revealed three major findings. First, as expected, when people were
highly curious to find out the answer to a question, they were better at
learning that information. More surprising, however, was that once their
curiosity was aroused, they showed better learning of entirely unrelated
information (face recognition) that they encountered but were not necessarily
curious about.
People were also better able to retain the information learned
during a curious state across a 24-hour delay. "Curiosity may put the
brain in a state that allows it to learn and retain any kind of information,
like a vortex that sucks in what you are motivated to learn, and also
everything around it," explains Dr. Gruber.
Second,
the investigators found that when curiosity is stimulated, there is increased
activity in the brain circuit related to reward. "We showed that intrinsic
motivation actually recruits the very same brain areas that are heavily
involved in tangible, extrinsic motivation," says Dr. Gruber. This reward
circuit relies on dopamine, a chemical messenger that relays messages between
neurons.
Third,
the team discovered that when curiosity motivated learning, there was increased
activity in the hippocampus, a brain region that is important for forming new
memories, as well as increased interactions between the hippocampus and the
reward circuit.
"So curiosity recruits the reward system, and interactions
between the reward system and the hippocampus seem to put the brain in a state
in which you are more likely to learn and retain information, even if that
information is not of particular interest or importance," explains
principal investigator Dr. Charan Ranganath, also of UC Davis.
The
findings could have implications for medicine and beyond. For example, the
brain circuits that rely on dopamine tend to decline in function as people get
older, or sooner in people with neurological conditions.
Understanding the
relationship between motivation and memory could therefore stimulate new
efforts to improve memory in the healthy elderly and to develop new approaches
for treating patients with disorders that affect memory. And in the classroom
or workplace, learning what might be considered boring material could be enhanced
if teachers or managers are able to harness the power of students' and workers'
curiosity about something they are naturally motivated to learn.
Story Source:
The
above story is based on materials provided by Cell Press. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
1.
Matthias J. Gruber,
Bernard D. Gelman, Charan Ranganath. States of Curiosity Modulate
Hippocampus-Dependent Learning via the Dopaminergic Circuit.Neuron,
2014 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.08.060
Cite This Page:
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Cell Press. "How
curiosity changes the brain to enhance learning." Science
Daily, 2 October 2014.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141002123631.htm>.