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Science 17 July 2009:
Vol. 325. no. 5938, pp. 284 - 288
DOI: 10.1126/science.1175626
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Review

Foundations for a New Science of Learning

Andrew N. Meltzoff,1,2,3,* Patricia K. Kuhl,1,3,4 Javier Movellan,5,6 Terrence J. Sejnowski5,6,7,8

Human learning is distinguished by the range and complexity of skills that can be learned and the degree of abstraction that can be achieved compared with those of other species. Homo sapiens is also the only species that has developed formal ways to enhance learning: teachers, schools, and curricula. Human infants have an intense interest in people and their behavior and possess powerful implicit learning mechanisms that are affected by social interaction. Neuroscientists are beginning to understand the brain mechanisms underlying learning and how shared brain systems for perception and action support social learning. Machine learning algorithms are being developed that allow robots and computers to learn autonomously. New insights from many different fields are converging to create a new science of learning that may transform educational practices.

1 Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
2 Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
3 Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
4 Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
5 Institute for Neural Computation, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
6 Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center (TDLC), University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
7 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
8 Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Meltzoff{at}u.washington.edu

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)