The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain

by Annie Murphy Paul

ALL OF THE seventh- and eighth-grade students enrolled in a 2012 study of educational methods were learning about the science of radioactive elements. The manner in which they encountered the subject, however, was strikingly different. One group was given an account written in the soporifically dull style of a textbook: “Elements are individual pieces of matter that combine with each other and make up everything we see around us. Most of what we see and use in the world, like air and water, is not made up of one single element. For example, sodium and chlorine are two different elements that make up the salt that we use for cooking . . .”—and on it droned, adding, “We now know of 92 elements that are a natural part of the Earth.” A second group of students learned the same material, but with a twist. Their version of the account picked up the thread this way: “By the late 1800s, scientists had already found most of these elements, but some were yet to be discovered. At this time, Polish-born Marie Curie and her French husband, Pierre, were two chemists living in France, trying to find all of Earth’s natural elements. Although it was very hard detective work, Marie and Pierre loved solving the mysteries of elements. One day, a fellow scientist named Henri Becquerel showed Marie and Pierre a special kind of rock called pitchblende. When Henri took this pitchblende rock into a dark room, Marie could see that it gave off a light blue glow.” This second account continued: “Henr...