Science of Smart links and resources

"The Science of Smart" is an audio documentary from the Educate podcast — stories about education, opportunity, and how people learn.

Studies on Delayed Gratification, Bilingualism and Interleaving

Abstract of the marshmallow study (“Cognitive and Attentional Mechanisms in Delay of Gratification” by Walter Mischel and co-authors)

Follow-up study on how the marshmallow study predicted cognitive and attention control in adolescents.

Study of neurological differences between high delayers and low delayers in adulthood.

Studies on Bilingualism

Study about how bilinguals juggle “two languages in one mind.”

Monolinguals activate larger sections of their brains to resolve conflicting cues, while bilinguals use that section of the brain more efficiently.

Comparison of executive function in bilingual and monolingual kids, and Ellen Bialystok’s other studies.

Abstract of Michael Kieffer’s study on how bilingual children who start off behind their monolingual peers in reading comprehension eventually catch up and surpass them.

Featured Bilingual Programs

Official site of Utah’s language immersion program.

An analysis of Utah’s immersion program, prepared by the Utah State Office of Education.

Studies on Interleaving

Research showing the benefits of interleaving on classroom performance.

The study that looked at retrieval study habits in college students.

Rohrer’s interleaving study conducted in Jen DeMik’s Tampa class.

Richard Schmidt and Tim Lee’s seminal book on motor control and learning.

A web page from Bob Bjork’s lab describing the benefits of interleaving.

The interleaving study from Bob Bjork’s lab (including the art history tests mentioned in the documentary).

Test Yourself

Test your own “retrieval practice” skills, courtesy of The Exploratorium.