PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New evidence that computers change the way we learn

2013-12-19
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Mary Beth O'Leary
moleary@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
New evidence that computers change the way we learn People who use computers regularly are constantly mapping the movements of their hand and computer mouse to the cursor on the screen. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on December 19 have shown that all that pointing and clicking (the average computer user performs an impressive 7,400 mouse clicks per week) changes the way the brain generalizes movements.

"Computers produce this problem that screens are of different sizes and mice have different gains," says Konrad Kording of Northwestern University and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. "We want to quickly learn about these so that we do not need to relearn all possible movements once we switch to a new computer. If you have broad generalization, then you need to move the mouse just once, and there you are calibrated."

And indeed, their studies found that Chinese migrant workers accustomed to using computers made broader generalizations when it comes to movement learning than a group of age- and education-matched migrant workers who had never used a computer before. While both computer users and non-users learned equally quickly how to move a cursor while their hand was hidden from view, computer-experienced individuals more readily generalized what they learned about movement of the cursor in one direction to movements made in other directions.

To get to the bottom of that difference, the researchers studied another group of 10 people unfamiliar with computers both before and after they spent 2 weeks playing computer games that required intensive mouse use for 2 hours each day. That two weeks of experience was enough to convert the generalization patterns of those computer-naïve individuals to that of regular computer users, the researchers report.

The findings show that computer use not only changes our lifestyle but also fundamentally affects the neural representation of our movements, the researchers say. This new understanding of movement learning might have important real-world implications for people undergoing physical rehabilitation in the clinic.

"Our data revealed that generalization has to be learned, and we should not expect it to happen automatically," says study first author Kunlin Wei from China's Peking University. "The big question in the clinic setting is whether supervised rehabilitation can lead to functional improvement at home. Thus, the next natural step for us is to experiment on how to make this generalization from clinics to home happen more effectively."

"If we could make patients generalize perfectly from robotic training in the hospital to drinking tea at home, then training in the hospital would maximally improve everyday life," Kording adds.

### Current Biology, Wei et al.: "Computer use changes movement learning."


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New method to detect genetic defects in egg cells could double the success rate of IVF

2013-12-19
New method to detect genetic defects in egg cells could double the success rate of IVF Infertility affects up to 15 percent of couples around the world, and in vitro fertilization (IVF) is one way to treat this common condition. A study published by Cell Press December 19th ...

New gene responsible for cleft lip and palate syndrome identified

2013-12-19
New gene responsible for cleft lip and palate syndrome identified An international team led by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has identified a new gene related to the Van der Woude syndrome, the most common syndrome with cleft lip and palate. The study ...

A new -- and reversible -- cause of aging

2013-12-19
A new -- and reversible -- cause of aging A naturally produced compound rewinds aspects of age-related demise in mice Researchers have discovered a cause of aging in mammals that may be reversible. The essence of this finding is a series of molecular ...

Scientific data lost at alarming rate

2013-12-19
Scientific data lost at alarming rate Eighty per cent of scientific data are lost within two decades, according to a new study that tracks the accessibility of data over time. The culprits? Old e-mail addresses and obsolete storage devices. "Publicly funded ...

Big data project reveals where carbon-stocking projects in Africa provide the greatest benefits

2013-12-19
Big data project reveals where carbon-stocking projects in Africa provide the greatest benefits It is increasingly recognized that climate change has the potential to threaten people and nature, and that it is imperative to tackle the drivers of climate change, ...

Texting may be good for your health

2013-12-19
Texting may be good for your health Txt4health program piloted in Detroit and Cincinnati motivated people to change behavior to reduce diabetes risk but less than half of enrollees stuck with service ANN ARBOR, Mich. — New University of Michigan ...

Brain repair after injury and Alzheimer's disease

2013-12-19
Brain repair after injury and Alzheimer's disease Technology developed to regenerate functional neurons (In vivo reprogramming of reactive glial cells into functional neurons) Researchers at Penn State University have developed an innovative technology to regenerate functional ...

Research linking autism symptoms to gut microbes called 'groundbreaking'

2013-12-19
Research linking autism symptoms to gut microbes called 'groundbreaking' A new study showing that feeding mice a beneficial type of bacteria can ameliorate autism-like symptoms is "groundbreaking," according to University of Colorado Boulder Professor ...

Modern caterpillars feed at higher temperatures in response to climate change

2013-12-19
Modern caterpillars feed at higher temperatures in response to climate change Caterpillars of two species of butterflies in Colorado and California have evolved to feed rapidly at higher and at a broader range of temperatures in the past 40 ...

Healthier Happy Meals

2013-12-19
Healthier Happy Meals Small changes to familiar combo meals can help cut calorie consumption What would happen if a fast-food restaurant reduces the calories in a children's meal by 104 calories, mainly by decreasing the portion size of French fries? Would children ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

Targeting FGFR2 may prevent or delay some KRAS-mutated pancreatic cancers

[Press-News.org] New evidence that computers change the way we learn