The Learning Brain

By: The Great Courses

Narrated by: Professor Thad A. Polk PhD Carnegie Mellon University

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the most complicated and advanced computers on Earth can't be purchased in any store. This astonishing device, responsible for storing and retrieving vast quantities of information that can be accessed at a moment's notice, is the human brain. How does such a dynamic and powerful machine make memories, learn a language, and remember how to drive a car? What habits can we adopt in order to learn more effectively throughout our lives? And how do external factors like traumatic injuries and mood affect our gray matter? The answers to these questions are merely the tip of the iceberg in The Learning Brain.

These 24 half-hour lectures offer in-depth and surprising lessons about how the brain learns and how we can optimize that learning. Begin your journey by focusing on which parts of the brain are responsible for different kinds of memory, from personal experiences and memorized facts to short-term memory, and how these systems work on a psychological and biological level. Then, discover how to better absorb and retain all kinds of memories in all stages of life. This course is chock-full of valuable information, whether you're learning a new language at 60 or discovering calculus at 16. If you need better study habits, struggle with learning a new skill, or just worry about memories fading with age, The Learning Brain will provide illuminating insights.

Take this journey with Thad Polk, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, whose well-organized curriculum and relaxed teaching style ease you into intricate aspects of learning science, including the underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms involved. Professor Polk's credentials in psychology and over 20 years' experience in education shine through every lecture of The Learning Brain as he firmly supports this rigorous exploration with scientific studies conducted over the last several decades of neuroscientific research.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2018 The Great Courses (P)2018 The Teaching Company, LLC

A really great course

I enjoyed listening to this course and I did learn a great deal from it. The lecturer is a wonderful teacher and is a pleasure to listen to. I recommend this course highly.

A life changing book.

Amazing source of scientific information which will inspire you to become a person willing to learn more.

Fascinating

I have listened to everything Professor Thad A. Polk has out on Audible. I have loved all of his lectures. He is engaging, the topics are fascinating and the information is given in terms that any lay person can understand. Even though Professor Polk is a Ph.D, he comes across as a normal, every day person, who relates the fascinating science behind how our human brain learns. I will probably listen to this many more times.

Another great course!

Good narrator that challenges listeners. The audiobook itself implements the learning techniques that it describes. Just good information with good solid scientific evidence. 10/10.

Definitely not what I had expected.

Had no idea I’d be learning about the human brain and all of its quirks. Nor did I know I’d be interested at all. Yet the lessons and lectures were so inviting and informative, I couldn’t put it down. Well worth it.

Another "Great Course!"

The narration and content of this course were easy to listen to, interesting, and informative. I recommend it for anyone interested in cognition or the function of the brain.

Interesting, Enjoyable, and Useful

No pun intended, but this was a great course! The teacher is humorous, thorough, and clear.

One of the things that struck me was that there isn't a single mention of evolution anywhere in the course. As a casual student of cognitive and behavioral sciences, I've found that one typically can't get 45 seconds into a course without being told that we have a specific brain function, because it helped us when we used to be monkeys running from sabre-toothed tigers. It was a refreshing change.

Great info

I wish I would have listened to this before I went to college. Would have focused my time differently

Excellent course

Up to Great Courses usual high standard. Presented me with some information I was already familiar with plus lots of new info to chew on. Research based but accessible. Well done!

good lectures about learning and the brain

I really enjoyed the content and especially the teaching by the professor and certainly one aspect that I was unexpected I will listen to him again