Maddie O’Brian | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: Maddie O’Brian
Title: The Benefits of Montessori
Major: Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience
Advisor: Grit Herzmann

Since its implementation in the late 1900s, the Montessori pedagogy has had numerous cognitive and psychological benefits inside and outside of the classroom. The current study evaluated the relationship between Montessori education and psychological well-being and how their interaction influences age-related episodic memory retention. Psychological well-being benefits can be measured using Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Likert Scale, which assigns a score based on the positivity of one’s mental processes, and a four-block duplicate selection test was used to score the episodic memory. Montessori-educated participants were hypothesized to score better in total psychological well-being and the episodic memory test than non-Montessori-educated participants. Additionally, age was also an important factor to consider in both psychological well-being and episodic memory and was measured through age group: young adulthood, early-middle adulthood, late-middle adulthood, and late adulthood. The current findings supported the hypothesis that Montessori education increased psychological well-being and episodic memory retention across age groups, providing an in-depth understanding of the benefits of early childhood Montessori education. These positive effects establish the foundation for academic success and provide long-lasting cognitive frameworks that aid in episodic memory retention. Lastly, episodic memory decreased with age as hypothesized; however, the age-related fluctuations in psychological well-being contradicted preconceived theories, indicating that further exploration may be required.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.