In early 1980, the idiom “Learning by Osmosis” was addressed by the scientific community. As the phrase grew in popularity, academics sought to pioneer a mechanism for the passive learning process. One study, by a lesser known Professor Van Nostrum from the University of Calcutta, showed that “Learning by Osmosis” would likely be a possibility in the near future. Using neuronal tissue from rats, he observed an alignment of neurotransmitters that occurred over time with separate tissues samples in the same vicinity. He was able to repeat these finding with human subjects. In 1986, a test subject was able to demonstrate the “learning by osmosis” phenomenon using a standard textbook placed on the forehead. After a 3 hour period, the human subject scored significantly better on an aptitude test of the subject matter than the control subject. Critics of the study point out several confounding factors. These include N = 1, higher education of the test subject compared to the control and an administration bias.
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