Start Date

12-13-2015

Description

Computational thinking, the ability to solve problems in the world using a logical foundation, is a fundamental skill for people in general and MIS professionals in particular. It can be argued that increased use of computational thinking can lead to better and more efficient problem solving, better decision making, and increases in productivity. Programming computer code is one type of computational thinking, and the type we address in the present research. In particular, we document changes in brain structure that occur as a person learns to program. Our results suggest that learning to program increases the structural connectivity between the frontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex. These results support our hypotheses about structural brain changes that result from learning to program.

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Dec 13th, 12:00 AM

Computational Thinking: Changes to the Human Connectome Associated with Learning to Program

Computational thinking, the ability to solve problems in the world using a logical foundation, is a fundamental skill for people in general and MIS professionals in particular. It can be argued that increased use of computational thinking can lead to better and more efficient problem solving, better decision making, and increases in productivity. Programming computer code is one type of computational thinking, and the type we address in the present research. In particular, we document changes in brain structure that occur as a person learns to program. Our results suggest that learning to program increases the structural connectivity between the frontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex. These results support our hypotheses about structural brain changes that result from learning to program.