My colleague Sarah Sparks has written a fascinating article about research that shows just what is going on inside a child’s head when that child is doing tasks such as cutting out shapes or coloring ...

The ability to link new pieces of information together and the capacity to solve entirely new problems reinforce each other ...

Abstract thinking helps us connect ideas and solve complex problems creatively. This type of thinking is valuable for making decisions, planning, and adapting in life. Abstract thinking develops as we ...

In new research, neuroscientists find that even high-performing schools don't influence their students' abstract reasoning. MIT neuroscientists find even high-performing schools don't influence their ...

When we think about the smartest animals, chimpanzees are usually the first to come to mind. Experiments show that they can memorize sequences of numbers, learn the meaning of words and associate ...

When it comes to getting out of a tricky situation, we humans have an evolutionary edge over other primates. Scientists have found mounting brain evidence that helps explain how humans have excelled ...

Is our understanding of basic geometric concepts innate? For centuries, psychologists and philosophers have considered the question, in forums ranging from Socratic dialogue to tests of an isolated, ...

When it comes to getting out of a tricky situation, we humans have an evolutionary edge over other primates. Take, as a dramatic example, the Apollo 13 voyage in which engineers, against all odds, ...