Changing children's brains

Portraits of Serafino & Francesco Falzacappa; Pier Leone Ghezzi [1674 - 1755]
Source: J. Paul Getty Museum

Our children are being exposed to an experience that alters their brains in ways we do not fully understand. There is now strong evidence that patterns of brain connectivity are different in individuals who have been exposed compared to those who have not¹. Influential figures have expressed concern that people’s memories will be restricted by this experience, which removes the need for them to memorise material, and allows them to look things up instead². And indeed, there is clear evidence of changes in cognitive processing, as predicted³. Furthermore, instead of learning in a social context, our children are increasingly being encouraged to engage in solitary activities that deprive them from the benefits of interacting with other people. And, rather than embracing traditional influences, they are exposed to alien ideas from other cultures^4,5 

Does this sound familiar? Are you thinking computer games, ipads, smart phones? If so, then consider: We are changing children’s brains, altering their memories, and influencing their ideas by exposing them to books.

References

1. Dehaene, Stanislas, Pegado, Felipe, Braga, Lucia W., Ventura, Paulo, Filho, Gilberto Nunes, Jobert, Antoinette, Dehaene-Lambertz, Ghislaine, Kolinsky, Régine, Morais, José, & Cohen, Laurent (2010). How learning to read changes the cortical networks for vision and language Science, 330, 1359-1364 DOI: 10.1126/science.1194140 
2. http://outofthejungle.blogspot.co.uk/2007/11/socrates-objections-to-writing.html

3. Ong, W. J. (1982). Orality and Literacy. London and New York: Routledge.

4. http://yalebooks.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/a-history-of-women-readers-belinda-jack-discusses-the-relationship-between-gender-and-literacy/

5. Nafisi, A. (2003). Reading Lolita in Tehran. New York: Random House.