Cortical Activations During a Computer-Based Fraction Learning Game: Preliminary Results from a Pilot Study

Abstract

Advances in educational neuroscience have made it possible for researchers to conduct studies that observe concurrent behavioral (i.e., task performance) and neural (i.e., brain activation) responses to naturalistic educational activities. Such studies are important because they help educators, clinicians, and researchers to better understand the etiology of both typical and atypical math processing. Because of its ease of use and robust tolerance of movement, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) provides a brain-imaging platform that is optimally suited for such studies. To that end, the focus of the current research is to use fNIRS to help better understand the neural signatures associated with real-world math learning activities. For example, the computer game “Refraction” was designed as a fun and engaging method to improve fraction knowledge in children. Data collected in previous studies have identified significant correlations between Refraction play and improvements in fraction knowledge. Here we provide the results of a pilot study that describes participants’ cortical activations in response to Refraction play. As hypothesized, Refraction play resulted in increases in parietal cortical activations at levels above those measured during spatial-specific activities. Moreover, our results were similar to another fNIRS study by Dresler et al. (J Neural Transm 116(12): 1689–1700, 2009), where children read Arabic numeral addition equations compared to written equations. Our results provide a valuable proof-of-concept for the use of Refraction within a large-scale fNIRS-based longitudinal study of fraction learning.

Appendix: Activity Descriptions

For the purposes of this study we used three different activities: mathematics, spatial negotiation, and Refraction. Each activity is described in detail below:

Mathematics: Each participant completed a number of mathematical problems that fell into one of five categories: fraction and decimal comparison (see Table 1, a); splitting (see Table 1, b), number line (see Table 1, c), fraction identification (see Table 1, d), and fraction addition (see Table 1, e).

Table 1 Mathematics examples

Spatial levels: Each participant completed a series of spatial negotiation activities in which they were required to bend a whole laser into the target. These activities were identical to the Refraction activities described below, although they did not require the participant to spit the laser (see Table 2).

Table 2 Spatial Negotiation examples

Refraction levels: The Refraction activities required a combination of mathematical and spatial processing to accurately complete (see Table 3).

Table 3 Refraction examples