Neuroscientist: Brain scans may improve careers adviceMapping grey matter has led Richard Haier to think that neuroimaging could tell people what work will suit them best
Your latest research looks at whether brain scans could help someone decide their career path. What did you find?
We are investigating whether the amount of grey matter - tissue with high concentrations of nerve cells - present in particular areas of the brain can affect performance in various tests of cognitive ability. What we are finding is that a person's score in tests of analytical reasoning, memory and spatial and numerical abilities is indeed related to the amount of grey matter in different areas of their brain. Our work is at a very early stage, but we are hopeful that one day knowing something about a person's brain may be helpful for providing guidance on vocational choice.
How can a brain scan help a person choose a job?
Understanding individual differences in brain structure may help predict a person's cognitive strengths and weaknesses, whether they are good at spelling or numbers, say. Everyone can learn to drive, for instance, but that doesn't mean that anyone can be a professional racecar driver. So you might ask whether there are any differences in the brain of a racecar driver that allows that person to have faster reaction times, a better visual-spatial sense, and more aggression. There are many factors that go into each vocation and we are just starting to ask whether information about a person's brain can help determine whether they would succeed in a certain career.
Isn't there a danger of limiting people by saying "this is what you are good at so you should do this job"?
I think it's really the opposite. Right now people make career decisions based on all sorts of factors. Having information about your brain could help you to make a better decision; the more information you have to help you make complex decisions, the better. Of course it is still deterministic, in the same way that college entrance exam scores might determine which university you go to.
What about brain plasticity? For example, if I was bad at spelling I could practise and my brain might adapt.
Yes, the brain is plastic and it does adapt, so there is a constant interaction between what you are doing and how your brain structure develops. So the question is, if you take a snapshot of a person's brain at one point in time, does that snapshot predict something useful? If you do this in children, for example, could it help determine the best educational strategy for them?
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