Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory technique that offers promise as an investigative method for understanding complex cognitive operations such as reading. This study explores the ability of a single session of tDCS to modulate reading efficiency and phonological processing performance within a group of healthy adults. Half the group received anodal or cathodal stimulation, on two separate days, of the left temporo-parietal junction while the other half received anodal or cathodal stimulation of the right homologue area. Pre- and post-stimulation assessment of reading efficiency and phonological processing was carried out. A larger pre-post difference in reading efficiency was found for participants who received right anodal stimulation compared to participants who received left anodal stimulation. Further, there was a significant post-stimulation increase in phonological processing speed following right hemisphere anodal stimulation. Implications for models of reading and reading impairment are discussed.

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When teachers struggle to understand students’ thoughts, feelings, and motivations, theteacher-student relationship typically suffers. Better social perspective taking—understandingthe thoughts, feelings, and motivations of others—should facilitate these relationships. In thispreregistered field experiment, teachers (N=105) from a K-9 charter school network participatedin a new social perspective taking induction aimed at helping them better understand their mostperplexing students. Regression analyses showed that the induction caused treatment teachers toput more effort into understanding these students (Cohen’s d = 0.51) and perceive more positive(Cohen’s d = 0.41), and less negative (Cohen’s d = -0.52) relationships with these students.Meanwhile, students of treatment teachers perceived more positivity in their relationships withtheir teachers (Cohen’s d = 0.82) and obtained higher course competency scores (akin togrades)—Cohen’s d = 0.45. This preregistered study complements exploratory, laboratory-basedstudies with empirical evidence from real world classroom settings. Implications of this researchcenter on the promise of social perspective taking to improve teacher-student relationships andother important student outcomes.

When teachers struggle to understand students’ thoughts, feelings, and motivations, the teacher–student relationship typically suffers. Better social perspective taking—understanding the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of others—should facilitate these relationships. In this preregistered field experiment, teachers (N = 105) from a kindergarten-to-ninth-grade charter school network participated in a new social perspective-taking induction aimed at helping them better understand their most perplexing students. Regression analyses showed that the induction caused treatment teachers to put more effort into understanding these students (Cohen’s d = .51) and perceive more positive (Cohen’s d = .41) and less negative (Cohen’s d = −.52) relationships with these students. Meanwhile, students of treatment teachers perceived more positivity in their relationships with their teachers (Cohen’s d = .82) and obtained higher course competency scores (akin to grades; Cohen’s d = .45). This preregistered study complements exploratory, laboratory-based studies with empirical evidence from real-world classroom settings. Implications of this research center on the promise of social perspective taking to improve teacher–student relationships and other important student outcomes.