Gdp2 2013 14-13

• 1. Can evidence-based education do more harm than good? How to deal with myths in education OVERVIEW ON NEUROMYTHS REASONS INTEREST

2. Rauscher, Shaw, Ky, 1993: effects of listening Mozart Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (K.448) on adult spatial capacities 8-9 points increase on IQ scale Short term effects Failed to be confirmed by other laboratories 3. The central finding of the present paper however, is certainly the noticeably higher overall effect in studies performed by Rauscher and colleagues than in studies performed by other researchers, indicating systematically moderating effects of lab affiliation. On the whole, there is little evidence left for a specific, performanceenhancing Mozart effect. (Pietschnig, et al, 2010) 4. Mr. Miller, a Democrat, proposed as part of his $12.5 billion state budget on Tuesday to spend $105,000 to make music available to each of the approximately 100,000 children born in Georgia each year. No one questions that listening to music at a very early age affects the spatial, temporal reasoning that underlies math and engineering and even chess,'' the Governor said today. ''Having that infant listen to soothing music helps those trillions of brain connections to develop. 5. Origins of neuromyths1. Distortions of scientific facts, undue simplifications 2. Offspring of scientific hypotheses that have been held true for a while, and then abandoned because of the emergence of new evidence 3. Use of scientific jargon with no scientific reference, even loose 6. Specialization of the hemispheresEquilibration of the hemisperes, as in Brain Gym 7. Origins of neuromyths1. Distortions of scientific facts, undue simplifications 2. Offspring of scientific hypotheses that have been held true for a while, and then abandoned because of the emergence of new evidence 3. Use of scientific jargon with no scientific reference, even loose 8. Sensible periods for the development of specific functions Synaptogenesis in early development Hyper-stimulation before 3 years 9. Origins of neuromyths1. Distortions of scientific facts, undue simplifications 2. Offspring of scientific hypotheses that have been held true for a while, and then abandoned because of the emergence of new evidence 3. Use of scientific jargon with no scientific reference, even loose 10. Brain imaging shows only some spots as activeCrap: from spoon benders to ESP 11. Other mythsBrain musclePlastic brainBaby (techno)-mutants 12. Definition of neuromyth Loosely inspired to neuroscientific fact and theoriess False beliefExpressed in a scientific jargonResilient to available knowledge 13. Other scientific myths Other scientific myths 14. Urban legendsStories that stick Concern people Have mystery Involve the search for causes Are emotional Have a moral (Why not using them in education?) 15. Illusions Systematic Robust Perceptual and cognitive phenomena That provoke surprise Because they conflict with evidence/other appraisals of reality 16. Characteristics of neuromyths A. Neuromyths have a special relationship with the science of the brain develop in a climate of neurophilia: the appetite for brain facts develop in a period of development of brain research B. are diffused and resilient to change C. are affected by explicit instruction about myths 17. The risk of NeuromythsOVERVIEW ON NEUROMYTHS REASONS INTEREST 18. Reasons 1. Communication shortcomings a. Placebic information b. Sensationalism c. Missing informationLonger explanations Langer et al 1978 19. Placebic informationThe adolescent brain Localization of functions 20. 1. Communication shortcomings a. Placebic information b. Sensationalism c. Missing information 21. SensationalismThere are many hypotheses in science, which are wrong, thats perfectly on right, thats the opportunity of finding out whats right. Science is a self-correcting process. For being accepted, ideas must survive the most rigorous standards of evidence and scrutiny. (Carl Sagan: Cosmos)Persistence in memory of false information Seifert 2002 22. 1. Communication shortcomings a. Placebic information b. Sensationalism c. Missing information 23. Missing informationExpert images & the polaroid effect 24. The neuroscience studies that we see in the news are regularly accompanied by pictures of the brain, showing colorfully "glowing" bits of neural tissue. As humans, we are highly visual creatures, accustomed to relying on the fact that what we see is actually happening in the world. Looking at these brain pictures often gives us the feeling that we have a window into the brain and that we can actually see what the brain is doing. But this is simply not accurate. An fMRI scanner is not a window or even a microscope; the output that it provides is not really a picture of the brain, at least not in the way that the output of a camera is a picture of a face. (Weisberg 2008) 25. Reasons 2. Neurophilia and the promotion of private agendas Public interest Newspapers, projects & reports Private agendas Commercial products Proliferation of neuro-labels 26. Reasons 3. Cognitive illusions and biases Soothing function Optimistic cognitive illusions Confirmation bias Correlation/causation illusions Familiarity/Availability bias Source amnesia 27. Confirmation biasCorrelation & causation illusions 28. Familiarity/Availability/Repre sentativity biasesSource memory/amnesia 29. The risk of NeuromythsOVERVIEW ON NEUROMYTHS REASONS INTEREST 30. Diffusion Few studies about the diffusion of neuromyths among educators But at least two flawed approaches are diffused, which incorporate neuromyths Brain Gym VAK Learning Styles 31. Brain gym 32. VAK learning styles 33. Ethical implications (because of the encounter between science and applications) Money spent on phony interventions = money not spent on effective interventions Interference with the understanding of the real processes Misuse of science Cognitive implications Like illusions and other misconceptions, neuromyt hs reveal the functioning of our mind when we come in contact with applied science