Research -- StepUp to Learn

Taking Short Breaks May Help our Brains Learn New Skills

Taking Short Breaks May Help our Brains Learn New Skills

The resting brain repeatedly replays compressed memories of what was just practiced.

Sugar: High Consumption Affects Learning, Memory

Sugar: High Consumption Affects Learning, Memory

New research shows high sugar consumption early in life affects learning and memory.

Puzzle Play Helps Boost Math Skills 

Puzzle Play Helps Boost Math Skills 

Researchers have found that children who played with puzzles at a young age later perform better on tasks utilizing spatial skills.

Paper Notebooks vs. Mobile Devices

Paper Notebooks vs. Mobile Devices

Unique, complex information in analog methods likely gives brain more details to trigger memory.

Solving the Screen Time Puzzle

Solving the Screen Time Puzzle

Contradictory to previous findings, children who learn how to solve a puzzle using a touchscreen can then apply this learning to the same puzzle in the physical world. 

New Experiences Enhance Learning by Resetting Key Brain Circuit

New Experiences Enhance Learning by Resetting Key Brain Circuit

A study of spatial learning in mice shows that exposure to new experiences dampens established representations in the brain’s hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, allowing the mice to learn new navigation strategies.

Blink! The Link Between Aerobic Fitness and Cognition

Blink! The Link Between Aerobic Fitness and Cognition

Researchers have found evidence that spontaneous eye blink activity, which reflects activity in the dopaminergic system, explains the connection between fitness and cognitive function.

How Our Brains Know When Something's Different

How Our Brains Know When Something's Different

Scientists discovered how a set of high frequency brain waves may help us unconsciously know when something's different by comparing memories of the past with present experiences.

Preschoolers Can’t See the Mountains for the Cat

Preschoolers Can’t See the Mountains for the Cat

Even when told to pay attention to the mountain in this photo, preschool children focus so much on the cat that they won’t later recognize the same mountain. Why?

Regular Physical Activity Seems to Enhance Cognition in Children Who Need it Most

Regular Physical Activity Seems to Enhance Cognition in Children Who Need it Most

New research shows that regular physical activity can enhance cognitive functions, especially in those who have the most room for improvement.

Sport and Memory Go Hand in Hand

Sport and Memory Go Hand in Hand

By exploring the benefits of sport in memory and motor learning, scientists are opening up promising perspectives for school programs.

Why Writing By Hand Makes Kids Smarter

Why Writing By Hand Makes Kids Smarter

New brain research shows that writing by hand helps children learn more and remember better. At the same time, schools are becoming more and more digital.