Neuromyths

Tokuhama-Espinosa, Tracey

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-809324-5.24101-1

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…As such, it is not run out yet the production of these materials for the educational audience with a scientific quality label. We also realized that even Portuguese researchers with an expressive scientific contribution in the field of relationship between brain sciences and education may not have science extension materials recently published (e.g., Morais, 1997 ) or authors who may not have the proper recognition in Portugal since their books remain untranslated into Portuguese so far (e.g., Tokuhama-Espinosa, 2018 ; Dehaene, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Looking for the Brain Inside the Initial Teacher Training and Outreach Books in Portugal

2022

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The fascination with brain research is widespread, and school teachers are no exception. This growing interest, usually noticed by the increased supply of short-term training or books on how to turn the brain more efficient, leads us to think about their basic training and outreach resources available. Little is known about what the official Initial Teacher Training (ITT) offers concerning the brain literature and if it meets scientific standards. Also, what are the science communication materials that teachers can access to learn about the developing brain remain undiscussed. First, we examined the ITT courses taught in Portuguese Higher Education, both in public and private institutions, to identify the syllabus with updated neuroscientific knowledge. Second, we searched for the neuroscience-related books published in the last 6 years through the National Library of Portugal database. Thirty ITT courses and 35 outreach publications were reviewed through a rapid review methodology. Our results showed an absence of curricular units indicating in their programs that brain research, and its relationship with learning, would be taught in a representative and updated way. In contrast, the number of brain-related books for educators increased in Portugal, corroborating the demand for this field of study by these professionals. Based on the literature that shows how misunderstandings about the brain have increased in school contexts, our discussion recognizes that science outreach could be a way to increase the scientific literacy of school teachers with the research community working more in this direction, but, since a previous problem seems to be unsolved, there is an urgent need for specialized attention to the development of training curricula for future kindergarten and elementary school teachers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Looking for the Brain Inside the Initial Teacher Training and Outreach Books in Portugal

2022

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“…The first part measures neuroscience literacy and belief in neuromyths. Of the 60 items, 47 items were adapted from prior surveys of neuroscience literacy and belief in neuromyths [ 6 , 32 , 40 – 47 ]. Most items came from the Herculano-Houzel [ 32 ] and Dekker et al [ 6 ] surveys.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taking an educational psychology course improves neuroscience literacy but does not reduce belief in neuromyths

Cho

Dubinsky

et al. 2018

PLoS ONE

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Educators are increasingly interested in applying neuroscience findings to improve educational practice. However, their understanding of the brain often lags behind their enthusiasm for the brain. We propose that educational psychology can serve as a bridge between basic research in neuroscience and psychology on one hand and educational practice on the other. We evaluated whether taking an educational psychology course is associated with increased neuroscience literacy and reduced belief in neuromyths in a sample of South Korean pre-service teachers. The results showed that taking an educational psychology course was associated with the increased neuroscience literacy, but there was no impact on belief in neuromyths. We consider the implications of these and other findings of the study for redesigning educational psychology courses and textbooks for improving neuroscience literacy.

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“…Similar arguments have been made in video gaming research (Bavelier & Davidson, 2013), especially when emphasizing potential for low-performing individuals. Skeptics are told that the idea that the brain is fixed has long been debunked (Tokuhama-Espinosa, 2018), and that any reluctance to accept findings touting intervention-induced cognitive improvements is thus misguided (Arrowsmith-Young, 2012).…”

Section: Mechanisms and Limits Of Cognitive Improvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

How malleable are cognitive abilities? A critical perspective on popular brief interventions.

Moreau¹

2022

American Psychologist

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A number of popular research areas suggest that cognitive performance can be manipulated via relatively brief interventions. These findings have generated a lot of traction, given their inherent appeal to individuals and society. However, recent evidence indicates that cognitive abilities might not be as malleable as preliminary findings implied and that other more stable factors play an important role. In this article, I provide a critical outlook on these trends of research, combining findings that have mainly remained segregated despite shared characteristics. Specifically, I suggest that the purported cognitive improvements elicited by many interventions are not reliable, and that their ecological validity remains limited. I conclude with a call for constructive skepticism when evaluating claims of generalized cognitive improvements following brief interventions.

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Neuromyths

Cited by 8 publications

References 26 publications

Looking for the Brain Inside the Initial Teacher Training and Outreach Books in Portugal

Looking for the Brain Inside the Initial Teacher Training and Outreach Books in Portugal

Taking an educational psychology course improves neuroscience literacy but does not reduce belief in neuromyths

How malleable are cognitive abilities? A critical perspective on popular brief interventions.

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