Obtaining adequate understanding of scientific concepts is considered challenging due to learners' misconceptions about natural phenomena. Misconceptions may coexist with scientific knowledge in the brain. Therefore, misconceptions must be cognitively inhibited in order to select the scientific knowledge. There is, however, lack of substantial neuroscientific evidence supporting this hypothesis. In this study, we sought for this evidence by investigating medical students who solved a cardiovascular conceptual problem in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Brain activation was compared between understanders who had the scientific knowledge, and misunderstanders who held a misconception. No significant activation was found in brain areas related to cognitive inhibition in understanders compared with misunderstanders. Therefore, we could not confirm the idea that cognitive inhibition is involved in overcoming a misconception. Instead, we found that the putamen was significantly activated in misunderstanders compared with understanders, suggesting a role for episodic memory in learners holding a misconception.

中文翻译：

---

对（误解）理解者的理解：探索使用功能磁共振成像的概念学习的基本机制

由于学习者对自然现象的误解，对科学概念的充分理解被认为具有挑战性。误解可能与大脑中的科学知识并存。因此，为了选择科学知识，必须在认知上抑制误解。但是，缺乏支持这一假说的大量神经科学证据。在这项研究中，我们通过调查在磁共振成像扫描仪中解决了心血管概念问题的医学生来寻找证据。比较了具有科学知识的理解者和持有误解的误解者的大脑激活情况。与误解者相比，在理解者中与认知抑制有关的大脑区域未发现明显激活。所以，我们无法证实认知抑制与克服误解有关的观点。取而代之的是，我们发现与理解者相比，误解者中的壳聚糖被显着激活，这表明在持有误解的学习者中，情节记忆的作用。