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Brain-Based Learning 9
NEW PERSPECTIVES FROM BRAIN RESEARCH
Only recently have scientists made great inroads into understanding the human brain.
Over the centuries, bits and pieces of information have surfaced; yet there is much more
to discover. For example, in the 1950s Dr. Paul MacLean, of the Laboratory for Brain
Evolution and Behavior at the National Institute for Mental Health in the United States,
proposed the Triune Brain Theory. . . According to McLean’s findings “. . . the human
brain is, in reality, three brains, each superimposed over the earlier in a pattern of brains
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within brains.” Survival learning is located in the lower brain, emotional learning in
the midbrain region, and higher order thinking and learning in the upper brain. Accord-
ing to MacLean’s research, the human brain has continued to evolve over millions of
years.
At the close of the twentieth century scientists were learning much more about the
human brain. Many people therefore refer to the 1990s as the “decade of the brain” be-
cause so much was discovered about brain functioning and learning during that period.
The biggest lesson learned from research is that we really do not yet know all the facts
about the human brain and how it processes information. Scientists have certainly,
made tremendous strides in expanding knowledge on how the brain is structured, its
capabilities, and how it works; however, they do not have all the answers. One reason
is that they have learned that the human brain continues to grow and evolve into
adulthood.
That belief was not held prior to the 1970s. At that time, simplistic theories related
to such aspects as left and right brain functioning (discovered by Nobel Laureate Dr. Roger
Sperry in 1968) were often taken out of context and used to answer many questions
related to training and learning (see Table 1-2). Even though what we know about left
and right brain capacity is still valid, we have learned that many other factors impact
learning.
People are essentially “whole-brained,” with each hemisphere interacting and pro-
cessing information. Although each person has a preference related to which hemi-
sphere is activated by certain stimuli, learning is not restricted to only one side of the
brain. Both hemispheres work in tandem. For example, a musician uses the right side
of his or her brain to create or visualize music played on an instrument (whole concept),
and the left side to follow the sequence of notes and to determine what movements are
needed to create a pattern in a song (specific parts). Thus, the whole brain coordinates
activities necessary to recall and play a musical piece.
Much of what scientists are currently finding is attributable to major advances in
technology. Brain scanning mehtods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and
position emission tomography (PET) literally open the brain’s functions for visual ob-
servation. With such instruments, electrical and radio waves can be used to track and
record activity as the brain observes; recalls or stores information; reacts to smells,
sounds, and visual stimuli; or reacts to emotional input. Pictures can be taken as a per-
son’s brain reacts to stimuli and the brain “fires” or shows activity in different areas.
Such observations help better determine the types of functions that occur in various