1. A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CORTICAL ACTIVITY BETWEEN AGE GROUPS WHILE LEARNING VIA INTERACTIVE DIGITAL MEDIA VERSUS NON-DIGITAL ALTERNATIVES Mackenzie Wilson

2. CORTICAL DEVELOPMENT Plasticity First 20 years of life crucial Environmental importance Adolescence  Gray Matter peaks  White matter increase/decrease

3. LEARNING Trillions of synaptic connections Dendrite growth/strengthening “Use it or lose it” Multi-area stimulation Visual Hippocampus Right prefrontal

4. SHIFT IN EDUCATION E-learning strategies Increased classroom competency Increased student enjoyment More efficient work Individualization Global collaboration Criticisms Distractions Shorter attention spans

5. THE CHANGING BRAIN Today’s Adults: Versatile Greater social skills/abstract reasoning “Turn on” new areas of brain Today’s Students: Rapid, focused concentration Instant gratification Quick analysis skills Multitasking

6. THE QUESTIONS How to people of different ages respond to digital and non-digital learning methods? Is there a measurable difference in their cortical activity?

7. PROCEDURE Four Males over the age of 45 Five Females over the age of 45 Four Males between ages 16-18 Five Females between ages 16-18 18 total

8. ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY Brain mapping Cadwell Easy II EEG Reads electrical outputs Persyst Insight II software

9. PROCEDURE (CONT.) Traditional Tools “Time” article Written questions Digital Tools Google Documents SolarScope interactive simulation

10. PROCEDURE (CONT.) Spatial reasoning Sequential reasoning Digital learning Imaginative task Traditional learning

11. DATA ANALYSIS 5 seconds Voltage Plot Relative activation Visual comparison

12. DATA ANALYSIS (CONT.) FP1-F7, FP2-F8, FP2-F4, and F8-T4 FFT T-tests

13. RESULTS FP2-F4: p= 0.017685 “traditional” FP2-F8: p= 0.043697 “computer” p= 0.015386 “traditional” Statistically significant differences

14. RESULTS (CONT.)

15. CORTICAL AREAS OF INTEREST Rostrolateral Prefrontal Cortex (Brodmann area 10) Poor understanding “Cognitive branching” Brodmann area 9 Dorsolateral/medial prefrontal cortex Working memory Recognition Calculation Planning ahead

16. CONCLUSIONS Measurable, significant difference Less frontal activation in younger age group Other observations

17. FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS Precise timing Video recording More in depth analysis SpikeReview Processing patterns Brain waves Other electrodes

18. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS Consent Volunteers Under 18 considerations

19. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mr. Donelson Mrs. Rice Dr. Marlin Languis Family Friends

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