Opportunities and Limitations of Mobile Neuroimaging Technologies in Educational Neuroscience

Abstract

As the field of educational neuroscience continues to grow, questions have emerged regarding the ecological validity and applicability of this research to educational practice. Recent advances in mobile neuroimaging technologies have made it possible to conduct neuroscientific studies directly in naturalistic learning environments. We propose that embedding mobile neuroimaging research in a cycle (Matusz, Dikker, Huth, & Perrodin, 2019), involving lab-based, seminaturalistic, and fully naturalistic experiments, is well suited for addressing educational questions. With this review, we take a cautious approach, by discussing the valuable insights that can be gained from mobile neuroimaging technology, including electroencephalography and functional near-infrared spectroscopy, as well as the challenges posed by bringing neuroscientific methods into the classroom. Research paradigms used alongside mobile neuroimaging technology vary considerably. To illustrate this point, studies are discussed with increasingly naturalistic designs. We conclude with several ethical considerations that should be taken into account in this unique area of research.

Fig. 1

The three‐stage cyclical model for educational neuroscience. Research in educational neuroscience covers a broad range of paradigms with different trade‐offs between experimental control and ecological validity, which can be achieved in different ways. In contrast to the systematic design, researchers can increase their efforts to “bring the real‐world to the lab” by the careful sampling of the target ecology (“representative design”). The current review focuses on “bringing the lab to the real‐world” using mobile neuroimaging technology, which is another approach to real‐world neuroscience (blue rectangle). One important challenge is to develop new paradigms that work well outside the lab (“naturalistic design”). Research at all stages of the cycle is needed in educational neuroscience; lab studies are needed to provide a basis for more naturalistic research, with the latter providing ground for previously established knowledge or for formulating new hypotheses that can be tested in more controlled lab or seminaturalistic environments. Note that not all neuroeducational research conforms to these categories; for example, some reliability studies use typical ERP designs (“systematic design”) outside the lab with mobile electroencephalography (e.g., while walking or cycling). Further note that this is a revised version of the cycle by Matusz et al. (2019), incorporating Brunwik's terminology, the need for naturalistic paradigms and the focus on mobile neuroimaging technology.

Fig. 2

Checklist for using neuroimaging technology in educational neuroscience. Before choosing mobile neuroimaging for a study, these steps/questions are useful to consider.