Myths about Learning

Question 1

Myth 1: We use 10% of our brains
-> why is it a myth
-> who believes it
-> where did it originate from?

Answer 1

A myth-> we use 100%.

Who believes it?
72% believed true (ordinary people)
49% believed true (teachers)

Originated from…
William James -> claimed people dont achieve more than 10% of their intellectual potential (overtime intellectual potential developed into whole brain activation).

Question 2

Implications for believing this is true (10% brain)

Answer 2

Suggests we cannot tap into the extra 90% because it’s simply not there

Question 3

Natural selection: against the myth that we 10% or our brain

Answer 3

• Natural selection is the process of adapting characteristics which better help us adapt to our environment to pass on our genes (reproductively advantageous)
• Our brain is just 2-3% of our bodyweight yet consumes over 20% of oxygen and blood flow (a lot)
• Our brains are shaped by natural selection; If we were only using 10% of our brain, why wouldn’t NS do away with the 90% we weren’t using as it would not aid our survival/reproduction (useless).

Question 4

Neuroscientific evidence: against the myth that we 10% or our brain

Answer 4

Neuroscience has showed there are no areas in the brain where there isn’t activation in response to electrical currents

a) Neurosurgeons electrically stimulate brains of patients when alert.
- Found -> NO areas in brain where there isn’t an experience of perception, emotion or movement in response.

b) ‘Single-unit recordings’ = researchers insert a micro electrode into a neuron to measure the activity of cell
- Found -> NO evidence that 90% of neurons have no activity.

Question 5

Myth 2: There are Left and Right Brained People
-> why is believed

Answer 5

-Brain is contralateral -> right hemisphere controls left side of body and vice versa.

-Lateralisation -> the two halves of the brain are functionally different + certain mental processes/behaviours are mainly/solely controlled by one hemisphere. (eg Language is largely lateralized in left hem, whereas visual spatial ability is lateralized in the right hem)

= Scientific evidence has been misinterpreted to form this myth.

Question 6

Myth 2: There are Left and Right Brained People
-> where did it originate from?

Answer 6

Split brain studies to cure epilepsy by cutting the corpus callosum (bundles of nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the brain)
- allows the two hemispheres to communicate

=Seems SB have 2 different brains and shows support for hemispheric lateralization -> can see why people would believe that there are left and right brained people due to misinterpreting lateralisation.

Question 7

Myth 2: There are Left and Right Brained People
-> Evidence for origin of myth

Answer 7

Sperry’s research on split brain surgery (hemispheric lateralisation)

• 11 SB vs non SB (quasi exp; naturally occuring IV)

-Fixate vision on center point using a tachistoscope (a device that displays an image for a very short amount of time; 1 second)

-as items presented for a short period of time, the item could only be seen by that visual field

FOUND:

1) When asked to describe (lang)

• Items showed to RVF (processed by LH) could be correctly identified verbally by split brain patients.
• BUT items shown to the LVF (processed by RH) could not be correctly identified verbally, it was as if they never saw it!

Therefore, suggesting language is lateralized on LH

2) When asked to draw (motor)

When given a pencil in their left hand (processed by RH) they could consistently draw clearer and better than right hand (even if they could not verbalise it)

Therefore, suggesting motor production is lateralised on the RH

3) Non-split-brain patients could correctly verbalise and draw at all times due to their corpus callosum being intact to allow communication between hemispheres

Question 8

Myth 2: There are Left and Right Brained People
-> who believes it?

Answer 8

1) Arkansashomeschooling. Org -> aimed to teach parents who were homeschooling their children to cater learning towards whether their child was left or right brained.

Common characteristics
- LB -> organised, planned, liked lists, maths interesting
- RB -> spontaenous, hates planning, maths boring

2) Howard-Jones
- surveyed 932 teachers from 4 diff countries
- asked if they endorsed these statements…

a)”Short bouts of coordination exercise can improve integration of left and right hemispheric brainfunction” - 77% true

b) “Difference in hemispheric dominance can help explain individual differences amongst learners ” - 80% true

Question 9

What evidence is there that there are NOT left and right brained people?

Answer 9

1) Lack of support
- 90% of people are right handed which would mean most of us are left brained (as the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body)

Language is localised on the left hemisphere

BUT left handed people still have language lateralised to left hemisphere, but are not right handed?

Therefore, if the myth were true, we’d all be left brained. Pointless.

2) Nielsen et al
= Used FMRIs to measure regions of interest in the brain
- Over 1000 scans measuring lateralisation in diff areas

FOUND: certain areas of the brain are lateralized (eg language in left and attention in right)

BUT did not find support for ppl being left or right brained

Question 10

Myth 3: People have different learning styles that improve learning if catered for
-> how is it false
-> where did it originate from

Answer 10

= Teaching that preferred learning style does not improve learning!!!

Originated from….
= Dunn and Dunn model
- Claims that certain Env, physical, emotional and sociological variables can impact how students learn
- Some of the aspects they talk about (eg temperature, motivation, food intake and help/support) could be true BUT they mention ‘modality preferences’ (FALSE)
- Modality preferences; visual (pictures) auditory (acoustic stimuli). kinesthetic (use motor skills, hands on)

Question 11

Evidence that people believe in success of preferred learning styles

Answer 11

Dekker et al
- surveyed 242 primary and secondary school teachers (uk and netherlands)

• Asked “individuals learn better when they receive info in their preferred learning style?”-> 94% believed true

Question 12

Myth 3: People have different learning styles that improve learning if catered for
-> Implications in education?

Answer 12

X Labelling students to having a certain learning style may be limiting
-> limits ways in which they could be learning as they have internalised that only one specific learning style works for them
-> EG “I am a visual learner so no point in me listening to verbal stuff in class”

X Costly and time consuming
-> catering to each individuals specific learning style

Question 13

What is the problem with the supporting evidence for the success of learning styles?

Answer 13

Supporting studies set up their designs in such a way that gave false analysis’ of learning styles successes

METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES…
-Used questionnaires to find out what type of learner ppts were

-Split ppts into 2 groups (eg one visual, one verbal)

All ppts randomly assigned to one…
a) receive instructions in preferred learning style
b) receive instructions that did not correspond to their preferred learning style

All take same learning test

Who did better? -> using hypothetical data we can disrupt the data to either support or challenge this hypothesis

Question 14

Evidence against the myth (which uses correct experimental methodologies)

Answer 14

Rogowsky, Calhoun and Tallal

37 auditory ppts
31 visual ppts

Assigned to audio book or e-text cond

Learning phase 1: heard it being read or read it themselves

Test phase: comprehension test (48 qs?)

Found -> visual learners did better overall.

-> providing an instruction that matches the students preferred learning style does not improve learning

Question 15

Weaker alternative explanations to promote student learning?

Answer 15

Educational neuroscience -> combines neuroscience, psychology and cognitive science to apply to education

X but costly, So far, no new methods produced; nothing learned that wasn’t already known

Question 16

Better alternatives to promote student learning?

Answer 16

= Practice tests are the most effective way at increasing academic.

1) Dunlowsky et al
- Showed the utility of learning styles on academic performance

Lowest utility; highlighting and re-reading

Moderate utility; elaborative interrogation and self-explanation

Highest utility; practice tests and distributed practice

2) Butler et al
- Ppts read passages and either had a..
a) Practice test
b) Restudy material

-Then given a short answer test

FOUND;
Practice test -> ppts did significantly better