Using the force: STEM knowledge and experience construct shared neural representations of engineering concepts.

ABSTRACT: How does STEM knowledge learned in school change students' brains? Using fMRI, we presented photographs of real-world structures to engineering students with classroom-based knowledge and hands-on lab experience, examining how their brain activity differentiated them from their "novice" peers not pursuing engineering degrees. A data-driven MVPA and machine-learning approach revealed that neural response patterns of engineering students were convergent with each other and distinct from novices' when considering physical forces acting on the structures. Furthermore, informational network analysis demonstrated that the distinct neural response patterns of engineering students reflected relevant concept knowledge: learned categories of mechanical structures. Information about mechanical catego

SUBMITTER: Cetron JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7235041 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature