Category: Learning
Neuromyths are common misconceptions about how the mind and brain function. Once these myths take hold in the public consciousness, it’s often difficult for people to separate brain facts from fiction.
Are the following statements true or false?
Take this quiz and test your science knowledge.
The answers:
True (2, 5 & 7)
False (1,3, 4 & 6)
Statement #1
In fact, the brain works 24 hours, 365 days, right from your birth until you die. It’s the second organ in the body as the heart that never stops during human lives. It remains highly active throughout your sleep so it can perform a host of functions that keep you humming through the day:
Statement #2
Researchers at Erasmus University in Rotterdam revealed that male brains are in fact bigger. However, women's brains are used more efficiently. Boy’s brains tend to be more lateralized -that is, the two hemispheres operate more independently during specific mental tasks like speaking. For the same kinds of tasks, girls tend to use both their cerebral hemispheres more equally.
Statement #3
The 10 percent of the brain myth is a widely perpetuated urban legend that most or all humans only use 10 percent of their brains. It’s an appealing idea because it suggests the possibility that we could become so much more intelligent or creative. This might inspire us to try harder or reach further.
Statement #4
In 2004, Frank Coffield, professor of education at the University of London, led research into the 13 most popular models of learning styles and found there wasn’t sufficient evidence to supply teaching techniques to various learning styles.
Riener and Willingham research show that 90 percent of the learners agreed that “they have their own learning style.” This belief can constrain learners -if a student thinks he or she is a visual learner and the teacher’s not supporting the presentation of material visually, then the student may think he or she can’t learn it.
Statement #5
The two halves of the brain work interdependently and the information is not being processed solely on right or left. One hemisphere is usually dominant in certain functions. This is called lateralization. The degree of lateralization varies from one person to another. However, both hemispheres work together.
Statement #6
Multilingual education does not lead to retarded language development. Children pick up languages extremely fast, even if they might confuse the languages sometimes. Children that master two languages, have a better understanding of languages.
Statement #7
The benefits of exercise come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells.
Are the following statements true or false?
Take this quiz and test your science knowledge.
- When we sleep, the brain shuts down.
- Boys have bigger brains than girls.
- We only use 10% of our brain.
- Individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred learning style (e.g., auditory, visual, kinesthetic).
- The left and right hemispheres of the brain always work together.
- The first language must be spoken well before the second language is learned.
- Physical exercise enhances learning.
The answers:
True (2, 5 & 7)
False (1,3, 4 & 6)
Statement #1
In fact, the brain works 24 hours, 365 days, right from your birth until you die. It’s the second organ in the body as the heart that never stops during human lives. It remains highly active throughout your sleep so it can perform a host of functions that keep you humming through the day:
- It preserves important memories.
- It prevents you from acting out your dreams.
Statement #2
Researchers at Erasmus University in Rotterdam revealed that male brains are in fact bigger. However, women's brains are used more efficiently. Boy’s brains tend to be more lateralized -that is, the two hemispheres operate more independently during specific mental tasks like speaking. For the same kinds of tasks, girls tend to use both their cerebral hemispheres more equally.
Statement #3
The 10 percent of the brain myth is a widely perpetuated urban legend that most or all humans only use 10 percent of their brains. It’s an appealing idea because it suggests the possibility that we could become so much more intelligent or creative. This might inspire us to try harder or reach further.
Statement #4
In 2004, Frank Coffield, professor of education at the University of London, led research into the 13 most popular models of learning styles and found there wasn’t sufficient evidence to supply teaching techniques to various learning styles.
Riener and Willingham research show that 90 percent of the learners agreed that “they have their own learning style.” This belief can constrain learners -if a student thinks he or she is a visual learner and the teacher’s not supporting the presentation of material visually, then the student may think he or she can’t learn it.
Statement #5
The two halves of the brain work interdependently and the information is not being processed solely on right or left. One hemisphere is usually dominant in certain functions. This is called lateralization. The degree of lateralization varies from one person to another. However, both hemispheres work together.
Statement #6
Multilingual education does not lead to retarded language development. Children pick up languages extremely fast, even if they might confuse the languages sometimes. Children that master two languages, have a better understanding of languages.
Statement #7
The benefits of exercise come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells.
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