A recent study by New York University has found that people’s brainwaves often vibrate in unison when they get along well or work on a common task. This phenomenon has even been proven to occur in online games. However, brainwaves don’t just indicate social harmony – they also reflect how well people learn.
EEG electrodes were used to wire up a total of nine groups of four students each, as well as one teacher, in a classroom setting. Participants were previously unfamiliar with each other, and lectures on various topics were given while the researchers recorded their brainwaves. The group’s brainwaves in the alpha band of eight to twelve Hertz were largely synchronized during the lessons. The teacher’s peak was followed by a peak in the students, with the paper noting that “this is consistent with the time it takes to understand spoken language.”
Wearable electroencephalogram technology was used to measure the brainwaves of both students and teachers, and questionnaires were used to gauge how much of the learning content was retained. The study found that the better the individual brainwaves of a subject were synchronized with those of the entire group, the greater the learning success. However, the researchers emphasized that individual brainwaves alone couldn’t predict learning success.
“This study provides new clues about the importance of collecting collective brain data from study groups simultaneously in a real-world setting,” write the researchers. The findings suggest that the use of EEG technology could improve educational outcomes by allowing teachers to identify more effective learning strategies.
