Brain Science: Combining Brain Science and Common Sense to Improve Training

Recently, I was on a research panel which explored the role ofscience within a corporate training environment, and this month I wanted toshare a couple of ideas that emerged from our conversations.

The importance ofimmediacy

Our colleague, Julie Dirksen, made a valuable point about theimportance of delivering training close to the time that the learner will makeuse of it. Let me illustrate her logic: What would you pay me deliver an icecream cone to your desk right now? A dollar? Two? Now, how much would you payto have an ice cream cone delivered to you next year? A lot less I’ll bet. Whenthings are deferred, they inevitably mean a lot less to us. “A bird in the handis worth two in the bush.” Or put more technically, people and other animalsdiscount the value of a reward when it is delayed.

Julie made the great point that exactly the same logic appliesto our training programs. Too often we provide training well in advance of the timethat it is going to be needed. In turn, learners will inevitably discount thevalue of this information. And when they discount its value, it is very likelyto be forgotten.

The take-home lesson for all of us is that we need to findways to reduce the time between training and utilization. One way we can dothis is by delivering online training just prior to need. This approach is bestsummarized by the quote, “Deliver 10 minutes of training, within five minutesof need, to an audience of one.”

The other way to reduce the time between training andutilization is to develop rehearsal opportunities for the hours and days aftertraining. These opportunities can provide the learner with a chance to use theinformation either by answering questions or participating in a simulation.

Can science solve ourtraining problems?

During our presentations, we were also asked about modernbrain-related research that might provide dramatic improvements in the way weteach and learn. My colleagues talked about a variety of exciting newinitiatives:

Brainplasticity

During most of the 20th century, researchers assumed thatbrain structures were relatively unchanging. More recent research, however,shows that the brain is relatively plastic and that it changes with experience.This “neuroplasticity” suggests the exciting possibility that we may someday beable to facilitate changes in neural pathways and synapses and thereby increasethe rate of learning.

Virtualreality simulations

Virtual reality consists of a set of technologies that providelearners with immersive experiences, including images, sounds, andinteractions, that simulate real world environments. The next generation ofvirtual worlds may allow students to immediately and safely apply their newlearning by interacting with avatars immersed within the same environment.

Smartdrugs

Smart drugs, also known as cognitive enhancers, purport to improve people’s ability to learn, retain, and applyinformation. Smart drugs, which have become increasingly popular in the last 10years, can take the form of dietary supplements (so-called “nootropics”) oramphetamines (e.g., Ritalin). Although the evidence is marginal, entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley have shown great interest in this new approach tomaximizing learning.

Each of these technologies is exciting and someday they mayprove to enhance training and learning. That said, something about thisdiscussion did not sit right with me. In our industry, it seems like we arealways waiting for the next new and exciting technology to finally solve all ofour problems. There is a very long history of technologies, everything from theprinting press and copy machines to television and DVDs, that have failed tosolve our fundamental problems of teaching and learning. In light of thishistory, I think we need to be skeptical when brain-science suggests asilver-bullet solution to our problems.

The good news

That said, I still think there is good news. Very good news.The fact is that we already know what needs to be done. One hundred years ofscientific research in learning and cognitive psychology has alreadydemonstrated processes that produce sustained learning and transfer. Theseprocesses, many of which have been discussed in this column, includeforeshadowing, boosting, reinforcement, and effortful processing. What all ofthese have in common is that (1) they require significant effort on the part ofthe teacher and the learner, and (2) they result in increased retention andtransfer.

The ride to the airport

This idea that good solutions are at hand came back to meduring my late-night cab ride back to the airport. The driver was a sincereyoung man, with long hair and very tired eyes. His name was Lee, and when heheard that I had given a talk about the brain and learning, he had a questionfor me. “I was a good student in high school.” he explained, “but I just can’tconcentrate in my college classes. I have heard about a device that can beimplanted into my brain that will detect when my mind wanders and give meshocks that will help me concentrate. Do you think it would help me?”

I explained that, to my knowledge, this sort of device doesnot currently exist. In fact, I don’t think it will in the near future since wehave no way of knowing when your mind is wandering and we would not even knowhow to shock the brain into paying attention to your school work. He wasdisappointed. Like people in our industry he wanted a simple and quicksolution. And it was at that moment that I realized that there is probably aneasy solution to his dilemma.

“Lee,” I said, “if you don’t mind me asking, how much sleep doyou get every day?”

“Well not much,” he answered, “I work really crazy shifts drivingthis cab and taking classes.”

“And how is your diet? Do you eat healthy meals?”

He smirked and said, “Almost never. My girlfriend does notknow how to cook and I eat junk most of the time.”

“How about exercise?”

“Nah,” he said, “I’d like to, but there is no time.”

“And what about caffeine and other drugs? Do you use thesevery often?”

He pulled at his hair as he sized me up in the rear viewmirror. After a few seconds he said, “Well yeah, I do… A lot, I guess. Iconstantly drink coffee to stay awake and then I drink and smoke to calm downat night.”

I waited until we were stopped at a red light and I held hiseyes in the mirror. “Lee,” I said, “the good news is that you don’t need brainsurgery to improve your concentration. You just need to apply some commonsense. You need to get good sleep. You need to eat well and get exercise Andyou need to cut down using so many drugs. When you do these things and takecare of yourself, you will be amazed at how quickly you regain your ability toconcentrate.”

The problem is not all thatcomplicated

It is striking to me how people, smart people, encounterchallenging problems and lose sight of obvious, common sense solutions. Leedoes not need brain surgery or drugs. Instead, he just needs to apply the triedand true methods of living a healthy, happy, and sustainable lifestyle. Thesame logic applies in the training industry. We do not need a silver bulletsuch as smart drugs or 3-D simulators. The fact is that we just need toactually apply the well-researched methods of learning, memory, and retention.And when we finally do so, we will be able to produce sustainable learning,retention, and transfer within our organizations.

Digging deeper

• If you would like to have your memory of this articlereinforced, send an email to Boost [email protected]. You willautomatically receive a series of boosters on this article. The boosters takeonly seconds to complete, and they will profoundly increase your ability to recall thecontent of these article.
• As it happens, a PhD dissertation explores the waypeople and animals discount the value of a reward when that reward is eitherdelayed or uncertain. It turns out that there are remarkable similaritiesacross species in the shape of the discounting function. All animals that havebeen tested seem to share the identical neural-mechanisms when it comes tomeasuring the value of a stimulus.
• I began this piece by mentioning Julie Dirksen’s panelcontributions on the topic of discounting. You can check out a recent piece by Dirksen concerning learningand urgency.