ABSTRACT
Dr. Read Montague, a neuroscientist at Baylor University’s College of Medicine, recently conducted a study of soft drink preference involving Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola (Ha, 2004). He and his colleagues found that when subjects were given the two drinks to compare without knowing which was which, the ventral putamen of the brain became highly active. When the subjects had knowledge of which cola they were drinking beforehand, however, the medial prefrontal cortex of the brain became activated. In the blind tests, Pepsi was preferred, but in the case of tests where
subjects were informed of the brand name, Coke was the winner. This study has obvious implications for the world of advertising, and no doubt more resourceful persons will see connections to teaching and learning.
