What are the potential strengths and weaknesses of neuroscience as an approach to the understanding of learning?

A brief summary of neuropsychology in relation to learning: Neuropsychology deals with connections between our mental abilities, our behavior, our ways of thinking and our brain. Included in this context are brain functions such as learning ability, perception, concentration, language processing attention and memory. In europsychological diagnostics, these and other brain functions are measured using standardized test instruments. This allows statements to be made about a person's mental weaknesses and strengths (Herrmann, 2009).

Strengths of the Neuropsychological Perspective on Understanding Learning:

A person's level of neuropsychological development can be measured using standardized testing instruments as described above. These tests, with the help of their results, can provide information about a person's cognitive performance and emotional abilities (Piefke, Onur & Fink, 2012). Neuropsychology thus offers itself as a multifaceted concept and instrument for putting developmentally appropriate principles of teaching and learning into practice. With the help of age-typical developmental processes, deviant neuropsychological developmental processes can be properly addressed pedagogically. (Piefke, Onur & Fink, 2012).

The disadvantages of neuropsychology in relation to learning are as follows:

Normally, a neuropsychological examination is a point-by-point observation of the brain. It cannot be considered causally to explain all processes of learning or non-learning. Thus, in some patients there are cases of memory loss in which no abnormality is detected by brain scans. Also, neuropsychological findings do not always necessarily bring a solution to the existing problem. The abnormalities found by neuropsychological examinations must in turn be treated by educational procedures. In my opinion, neuropsychology should be included as a component of learning in the long run. Also, technical advances in this field should continue to be closely monitored.

Herrmann, U. (Hrsg.) (2009). Neurodidaktik. Grundlagen und Vorschläge für gehirngerechtes Lehren und Lernen. 2. erweiterte Aufl., Weinheim/Basel: Beltz.

Piefke, M., Onur, O., Fink, G.R. (2012). Aging-related changes of the brain mechanisms supporting visual-spatial working memory. Neurobiology of Aging, 33, 1284-1297.