Medical Daily – Samantha Olson
“Two brain psychologists from Johns Hopkins University studied how the element of surprise could help engage a baby to learn more efficiently. The study, which was published in the journal Science, was broken up into four different stages and designed to test 11-month-old babies’ ability to learn…The element of surprise provides a brain boost to the baby who becomes more intrigued by the possibilities of the unexpected. Babies who were shown the surprising events were able to learn faster and more efficiently afterward compared to those babies who saw the ball roll down the ramp as they expected. Babies use what they already know about the world to further their learning and build upon information they believe is reliable, such as a ball dropping because of gravity. If something is out of their range of foundational knowledge, the baby becomes more engaged as if the ball’s surprising behavior is highlighted in their minds as new and important information. Stahl believes adults may also learn the same way. However, further research will have to explore how the unexpected can provide impactful learning experiences.”(more)