![]() | Summertime, and the Driving is Easy... (Hey!--Turn here!) |
By Ellen Kuwana Neuroscience for Kids Staff Writer June 17, 2004
My compulsion is supported by a study that shows that the brain of the passenger shows the same pattern of activity as the brain of the driver. So when the driver makes a mistake, the passenger feels like he made a mistake, too. In both the driver and the passenger, the same brain regions (medial frontal cortex and motor cortex) show activity.
Using electrical recording methods, researchers gathered data from the
frontal brain regions of 18 test subjects. Test subjects watched a screen
and had to identify which way an arrow was pointing. At the same time, an
observer watched the test from across a table. The screen was two-sided so
that each person So, when a driver makes a mistake, the passenger reacts as if he personally made that mistake. This mechanism may help people to learn by observation only. Studies have shown that learning by observing uses similar mechanisms to learning by doing. So next time people coach your driving, understand that they might not be able to help it -- their brain is reacting as if they are driving, too. |
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