The third, lost type of memory that might be the most important one

Summary

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a professor and director of CANDLE at USC, challenges the traditional focus on memory in education, advocating for the inclusion of autobiographical memory to foster growth and well-being. Her research on adolescents shows that transcendent thinking about personal stories predicts brain development, which in turn influences identity and life satisfaction, suggesting a reorganization of educational experiences to support deep engagement with meaningful ideas.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The traditional education system is primarily focused on memory for facts and procedures, but overlooks the importance of autobiographical memory which shapes our identity and values.
• 🧠 Autobiographical memory is crucial for personal growth and well-being, and it should be central to educational experiences as it helps organize our skills and responses to different situations.
• 🧑‍🏫 Mary Helen Immordino-Yang is a professor who emphasizes the significance of emotional and social engagement in learning, and is the director of CANDLE, a center focused on the neuroscience of development, learning, and education.
• 👶 Infants experience rapid brain development in the first three years of life, but there is also a significant period of growth that occurs before and extends into the mid-20s, influenced by resources and environments.
• 🏘️ Socioeconomic status plays a role in how the brain develops, particularly during adolescence, and young people need opportunities to contribute to communities and develop a sense of purpose.
• 🤔 Adolescents benefit from engaging in 'transcendent thinking' which involves considering the implications of historical or future events, and ethical and alternative perspectives.
• 🔬 Immordino-Yang conducted a five-year longitudinal study with teenagers from diverse backgrounds, using documentaries to explore their emotional engagement and brain activity.
• 🧠 The study found that the way teenagers engaged in transcendent thinking about the meaning of stories predicted physical changes in their brain's white matter fiber tracts over time.
• 🌱 This brain growth was linked to identity development in late adolescence, which further predicted life satisfaction in young adulthood, including personal satisfaction with relationships and career opportunities.
• 🚫 The findings were not influenced by IQ, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status, but rather by the individual's disposition towards transcendent thinking.
• 🔄 The current state of secondary education does not align with adolescent needs; the human mind develops by engaging with profound ideas and working backward to understand their implications, which should be the focus of educational systems.

Q & A

What is the fundamental misconception about the purpose of school according to Mary Helen Immordino-Yang?

The fundamental misconception is that the purpose of school is to support learning outcomes, which are mainly operationalized around memory for semantic information (facts) and memory for procedures, neglecting the importance of autobiographical memory.

What is autobiographical memory and why is it important for human growth and development?

Autobiographical memory refers to the stories of who we are, what we stand for, and how we want the world to be. It is important for human growth and development because it forms the foundation upon which other learning is layered and helps organize our memories, skills, and situational awareness.

What is the role of autobiographical memory in transcendent thinking?

Autobiographical memory plays a crucial role in transcendent thinking by organizing the way we recall memories, enact skills, and notice what needs to happen in different situations, which are key aspects of being human.

Who is Mary Helen Immordino-Yang and what is her professional background?

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang is a Professor of Education, Psychology & Neuroscience at the University of Southern California and the director of CANDLE, the Center for Affective Neuroscience Development, Learning, and Education.

What is the significance of the second major period of brain development mentioned in the script?

The second major period of brain development, occurring just before puberty and lasting into the mid-20s, is significant because it is influenced by resources, environments, and socioeconomic status, and is a critical time for adolescents to develop a sense of purpose.

How does the environment and socioeconomic status impact brain development according to the script?

The environment and socioeconomic status affect the ways in which young people's brains develop at a group level, influencing the resources and opportunities available to them during critical developmental periods.

What was the aim of the five-year longitudinal study conducted by Mary Helen Immordino-Yang?

The aim of the study was to understand how young people develop capacities for transcendent thinking, to observe what these capacities look like in the brains of young people, and to explore the implications of these capacities for thinking.

How did the study involve the participants and what was the process?

The study involved 65 young people aged 14 to 18 from diverse backgrounds. Participants watched documentaries about real teenagers and were asked about their emotional responses. They then underwent MRI scans while thinking about the stories and indicating their emotional engagement.

What were the findings of the study regarding the relationship between transcendent thinking and brain growth?

The study found that the inclination to engage in transcendent thinking about the meaning of the stories predicted physical changes in the growth of the white matter fiber tracts of the participants' brains over two years.

How did the observed brain growth relate to identity development and life satisfaction in the study?

The brain growth observed predicted identity development in late adolescence, which in turn predicted life satisfaction in young adulthood, including satisfaction with personal growth, relationships, and opportunities at school or work.

What does the script suggest about the current state of secondary education and its mismatch with adolescent needs?

The script suggests that secondary education's approach of starting with small building blocks does not align with how the human mind grows, which is by engaging with deep, powerful ideas and working backward to inform meaning.

What is the role of psychosocial and educational research in understanding adolescent development according to the script?

Psychosocial and educational research helps in understanding that supporting young people to engage respectfully with the complexities of social and moral lives is deeply motivating and purpose-generating, especially for young people.