In a study that came out last year to surprisingly little fanfare, researchers have paved the way for learning on an unconscious level.
Researchers from both Japan and Boston University have successful employed a method that helps people to learn skills without actually having to put in the practice. The research is still in its infancy, but the wide-ranging implications of such findings could bring the learning process to a frontier only imagined in the wildest sci-fi movies.
Using fMRI technology, the researchers targeted the visual cortex of the participants in the study. Images were shown to them that would induce neuron-firing patterns in the subjects' brains similar to the ones present when they were learning a certain task. For the first time, it was shown that the brain has enough plasticity in it's the visual cortex to allow for visual perceptual learning (VPL).
Alright, now in English. The study attempted to get people to learn without necessarily knowing what they were learning about by showing images rather than teaching. The images were designed to induce patterns in the brain that were similar to when conscious learning of a task was taking place. Researchers were able to prove that an increase in learning took place after the patterns were induced, effectively teaching people a skill without them actually being aware of it.
What's even more interesting is that the greatest gains in skill were realized when people were unaware of the skill that was being imparted upon them. That is to say, this technology could actually be most beneficial on an unconscious level.
The ramifications of this study are really quite interesting. There is still a ways to go in understanding the long-term possibilities of such a method but the basis for what could be is exciting. One day people may be able to learn the basics of a skill without ever having to study. Products could be bought that could essentially download information to one's brain, instantly giving the consumer an ability to play an instrument or learn a language. If that's the case, people might even be able to finally decode these otherwise verbose scientific studies.
