Rochester, N.Y. - Researchers at the University of Rochester are using clips of Sesame Street to better understand how a child's brain develops.
They are looking at brain scans of children and adults watching the program. The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans pose no risks, and measure neural signal intensity in the brain.
Participants watched 20 minute segments of Sesame Street and then were asked to complete standardized IQ tests.
Children whose neural activity more closely resembled that of an adult while watching the video ended up scoring higher on the test.
Researchers say this is the first time this method has been used to study the brain's development.
They say this type of science could someday help detect and treat learning disabilities in kids.
