Scientists can't really know what a child is thinking, but they
are interested in the brain processes that happen in educational
settings. To that end, a new study in PLOS Biology compares the
brains of children and adults, using "Sesame Street" as a way to
test what happens on a neurological level during a popular TV
program aimed at learning. "We're kind of honing in on what
brain regions are important for real-world mathematics learning
in children," said lead study author Jessica Cantlon, assistant
professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of
Rochester. Participants included 27 typically developing
children, ages 4 to 10, and 20 adults between ages 18 and 25.
Each participant took part in one or more of the three
components to the study. Researchers focused on what happens in
the brain during mathematical lessons. They used functional
magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the neural activity
in participants. In one part of the experiment, children and
adults watched the same 20-mi