9720348 McClelland Given that learning takes place at the connections between neurons, the pattern of connectivity between brain areas representing different types of information has a strong influence on how hard or easy it is to learn to relate various types of information. The research combines experimental investigation of skill training procedures, computational modeling, functional brain imaging, and automated tutoring in to improve understanding of the brain mechanisms that implement the principles. The work also aims to apply, evaluate, and refine training procedures to produce concrete improvements in the reading proficiency of both normal and reading-impaired children. The results will have important implications not only for the theory and practice of reading education, but also for the effective training of cognitive skills more generally.
