(2) Problems
Before beginning actual measurements, preliminary tests on control problems were conducted. The control problems were designed so as to be problems in which not only selected subjects would display interest or possess a strong awareness, but rather one in which all subjects would have approximately the same level of interest and awareness and in which the level of difficulty of the problems could be varied. The subjects used here consisted of subjects who were not subjects in the main experiment. After trying sports, still-life and landscape photographs, origami, and other candidate topics as problems in which the subjects could be expected to display the most similar level of interest and involvement, it was found that origami was the subject in which the subjects displayed the most similar level of interest and involvement and the results obtained also showed that it is easy to vary the level of difficulty, and origami was accordingly chosen as the control problem.
As specialized problems, problems were chosen covering the process of decision making in cooking, and these problems were presented in alternation with the control problems. (Table 1)
The subjects were instructed to respond to the problems as quickly as possible as they were shown in internal language without accompanying speech motions, i.e., to answer silently in their heads, and they were instructed not to think too deeply or try to force themselves to respond.

(3) Methodology
Measurements were taken in a dimly lit shield room where no external noise could be heard. Subjects were seated in chairs placed 1.2 meters away from a screen (1.2 X 0.8 meters) with their heads fixed into place, and measuring probes were attached evenly to the left and right sides of the front of the head. (See Figure 1) Measurements were taken from 45 channels of measuring points.
The measuring instrument was used to irradiate the scalp with near infrared rays of 780, 805, and 830 nanometers, the reflected light was measured at 220-msec intervals at a distance of 3 centimeters, and this was used to calculate the variations in oxygenated hemoglobin, deoxygenated hemoglobin, and total hemoglobin. (Measurements were taken in mmol X cm using an NIRStation near-infrared monitor.)
Stimuli were projected from a liquid-crystal project located 2.4 meters to the rear, 30 problems consisting of a text question and a picture within a single frame were created, and a personal computer was used to control projection with specialized problems and control problems displayed alternately at 30-second intervals.
Immediately after the completion of recording, the same pictures as those used as stimulus problems were shown to the subjects to accurately recreate the same answers as those the subjects had answered mentally in their heads, and subjects were then requested to record their own answers.

(2) An examination of changes in levels of oxygenated hemoglobin over time induced by specialized and control problems (Figure 5)
Figure 5 shows the differences over time in oxygenated hemoglobin between a pair of contrasting problems presented in succession. Areas in which levels of oxygenated hemoglobin were higher for a specialized problem than a control problem are indicated in red, and areas where such levels are lower are indicated in blue. The horizontal axis represents the amount of elapsed time covering a total of 30 seconds, with the dotted line indicating the point at which 15 seconds have elapsed. The vertical axis represents the amount of increase of oxygenated hemoglobin. The data for each subject represents data from 45 channels of the frontal lobes, with the data to the left and right representing data for home economics majors (i.e., educated subjects) and non-educated subjects, and the upper and lower lines represent contrasting types of problems. In the contrastive problems at the top, the red portions for educated subjects indicate slight spindle-shaped increases and decreases centered around the 15-second point which could be seen locally at the upper part of the left lobe, and in the right lobe decreases could be seen for the contrastive problems. While an increase in red can be seen over a wide area for the upper?row problems for non-educated subjects, for these subjects no great levels of concentration could be seen and increases were seen through a wide area of the frontal lobe. Note that this is also due to a large decrease for contrastive problems. In the contrastive problems at the bottom, a greater spindle-shaped increase in oxygenated hemoglobin could be seen for specialized problems than for contrastive problems in both non-educated and educated subjects. A spindle shape was thicker for educated subjects and greater increases were seen. Decreases were seen at the lower right for non-educated subjects.

(3) A comparison of non-educated subjects and educated subjects through self-reporting
As an overall trend, when non-educated and educated subjects are compared, educated subjects outperformed non-educated subjects in terms of both quantity and quality when presented with text information at all stages of the decision making process.
A look at the answers supplied by subjects to problem IV (i.e., "Name as many dishes as you can you have already made”) shows that while educated subjects A' s and B' s responses listed a greater variety of names of dishes which were more difficult to cook, i.e., educated subject A listed ‘curry, stew, simmered beef and potatoes, vegetable soup, soy-sauce spinach, steamed rice and fillings, dumplings, salads, pilaf, and rice-paste pizza' and educated subject B listed ‘hamburgers, curry, stew, simmered beef and potatoes, Caesar salad, dumplings, floury potatoes, carrots glac?, radish-flavored rice, rolled sushi, bavarois (Bavarian cream) , gelatin, sauted Okinawan cucumber salad, and bean curd cake' , non-educated subjects A and B listed names of dishes which were comparatively easier to make, with non-educated subject A listing ‘sunny-side-up eggs, fried rice, rice omelettes, and mixed cabbage and egg pancakes' and non-educated subject B listing ‘fried rice, fried bacon and potatoes, spaghetti, and sandwiches'
Figure 4 shows the results of the decision making process when subjects were presented with the question, "What problems have you encountered (do you encounter) both when making curry and when making simmered beef and potatoes, or, alternatively, what problems have you encountered (do you encounter) in making each?”
In the self-reported answers provided to question XX, "What problems have you encountered (do you encounter) both when making curry and when making simmered beef and potatoes, or, alternatively, what problems have you encountered (do you encounter) in making each?”, educated subject A' s response, i.e., ‘Pot, little space for washing, mushy potatoes, lingering smell of curry' , listed details which would be difficult to describe without experience in actual cooking and listed the main requirements needed for making selections. Educated subject B' s response noted that ‘it is a bother to saut onions properly, skimming scum…, difficult to achieve proper consistency' , thus describing major things learned from actual experience. In contrast, non-educated subject C' s response listed ‘peeling potatoes and slicing vegetables' , thus indicating no apparent experience in making these dishes and listing only beginning and fragmentary cooking operations. Non-educated subject D listed only ‘unable to properly soften carrots' .