Il-Sun Lee

Brain Activation During Scientific Hypothesis Generation in Biologists and Non-biologists

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate neural substrates during scientific hypothesis generation, in particular, the differences between biologists and non-biologists. Eight biologists and eight non-biologists were scanned while they performed eight scientific hypothesis generation tasks. The results of this study revealed that activation of the left inferior and middle frontal gyri were driven by increased working memory load. The superior medial prefrontal cortex reflected higher-order inferential processes. The activation of the right hippocampus reflected the retrieval and encoding of information in long-term memory. The increased activity in the occipito-parietal route was due to perception and visuo-spatial working memory. Furthermore, the biologists’ exceptional abilities for hypothesis generation were correlated with the acceleration of memory retrieval and higher-order inferential processes.

Development of a model for measuring scientific processing skills based on brain-imaging technology: focused on the experimental design process

The purpose of this study was to develop a model for measuring experimental design ability based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during biological inquiry. More specifically, the researchers developed an experimental design task that measures experimental design ability. Using the developed experimental design task, they measured both the paper experimental design ability and the fMRI experimental design ability of subjects. Subjects’ paper experimental design ability was measured using the quotient equation of experimental design ability, and their fMRI experimental design ability using the brain connectivity coefficient. According to the fMRI results, differences in design ability existed among subjects in terms of brain connectivity coefficient level during the experimental design task. The experimental design ability brain connectivity coefficient level and quotient for each subject were analysed. Statistically significant correlations between subjects’ connectivity strength level among brain activation regions and quotient value guided the establishment of a measuring model. The model measured experimental design ability and could predict an individual’s experimental design ability quotient using his or her brain connectivity coefficient. Hence, the model developed for this study for measuring experimental design ability based on fMRI may serve as a practical measurement of students’ scientific experimental design ability. Furthermore, this study could serve as a founding theory for measuring models of other scientific processing abilities such as observation, question generation, classification, hypothesis generation and hypothesis evaluation.

Observation of Microorganisms in Milk after the Expiration Date Using Dry Rehydratable Film.

ABSTRACT Cultivation of microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria is often not included in scientific inquiries conducted in school because of the difficulty of manufacturing a suitable medium. A method using dry rehydratable film to reduce the need to manufacture a suitable medium and shorten incubation time was developed as an efficient microbial testing method. Using this method, students can easily perform experiments on microorganisms in schools where time and space are limited. For example, we carried out an inquiry on the possibility of drinking refrigerated milk that is already past its expiration date. Through this activity, we could raise issues related to the current shelf-life labeling system implemented in Korea. In addition, the method can measure microorganisms in several ways through air, direct contact, and indirect contact, making the procedure easier to use in scientific activities at school.