March 18, 2004
Fledgling ‘scientists’ sought for study on how brain changes with learning
University of Washington researchers are looking for 20 budding elementary school “scientists” who enjoy science to participate in a study exploring how computers can help children with scientific problem solving and report writing. In addition, the study also will look at how the human brain changes in response to learning.
To be eligible for the study, boys and girls currently must be in the fourth through sixth grades and be right-handed. They also must be good at reading and writing, and enjoy science. Minority children are especially being sought for the project, according to the researchers.
Participation in the study involves completing tests and having a non-invasive brain scan before and after the instructional portion of the project. The teaching portion involves coming to the UW 16 times for three-hour sessions between June 28 and July 23. During these sessions, the children will learn about real marine environmental problems while using a custom-made interactive computer program called “Finding Luna.” It is based on the story of reuniting a lost juvenile Orca with its pod and the threats facing Puget Sound’s dwindling killer whale population.
Children can earn up to $100 for completing the testing and brain scans, which involve looking at words and doing a language task while their brain is being imaged. In addition, each participant will be given a still image of his or her brain and a customized science T-shirt.
Parents who have questions or would like to have their children participate in the study should contact Patricia Stock, the project’s research coordinator, at (206) 685-2365 or pstock@u.washington.edu.
Lead researchers on the study, which is funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, are William Winn, a professor of curriculum and learning in the UW’s College of Education, and Todd Richards, a professor of radiology at the UW Medical Center.
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For more information, contact Stock at (206) 685-2365 or pstock@u.washington.edu
