Patrick Biernat, FCLC '27

Major: Integrative Neuroscience

Bio: Patrick Biernat is a junior pursuing a B.S. in Integrative Neuroscience. He began working with Dr. Ruppert on science education research in summer 2024, receiving the FCLC Dean's Undergraduate Research Grant to support this project. With experience in both qualitative and quantitative research, he aims to make science accessible to all. He serves as 2nd Lieutenant and QA Officer for Fordham EMS and aspires to become a physician, focusing on bridging the provider-patient communication gap.

Title of Research: Electroencephalographic Manifestation of the "Moving Things are Alive" Heuristic in Novices and Experts

Mentor: Dr. John Ruppert, Natural Sciences

Research Partner: Averi Schirmers

Abstract: Heuristics are a mental mechanism to simplify the information constantly bombarding the human brain.  They often manifest as simplistic ideas which are easy for our brain to forward through processing, such as “moving things are alive.”  Heuristics affect learning, particularly in the sciences, since many scientific concepts are known for being counterintuitive or going against naïve internal models.  Prior studies utilizing electroencephalography (EEG) have shown that the brain regions associated with inhibition display unique patterns of electrical activity when faced with a scenario where the "moving things are alive" heuristic applies but is incorrect.  This study aimed to expand upon prior research by investigating the effect of expertise in the life sciences, with a novice and an expert group.  While wearing EEG apparatus to record the brain’s electrical activity, participants were shown two images: one depicting a living object and the other showing a non-living one.  Two conditions were used.  The “intuitive” condition displayed a moving animal and a stationary object, in which case the heuristic is correct.  The “counterintuitive” condition displayed a stationary plant and moving object, which required the brain to engage in inhibition.  Preliminary EEG data analysis indicates that inhibitory control for this heuristic differs between our two population groups, suggesting that expertise, or at least educational attainment, may play a role in shifting neurological pathways away from inaccurate heuristics over time.  While additional data is being collected and a more robust data analysis process is forthcoming, these findings suggest that an increase in expertise may be associated with a physical “rewiring” of the brain’s structures in a way which reduces the impact of heuristics.