Event Title

Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power: Misconception Identification & Revision in Psychology Students

Location

CSU 201

Start Date

4-4-2011 1:30 PM

End Date

4-4-2011 3:00 PM

Student's Major

Psychology

Student's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Mentor's Name

Karla Lassonde

Mentor's Department

Psychology

Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description

Not surprising, information conveyed to the public as ―psychology‖ is not always grounded in scientific research and many times consists of thoughts of human behavior that have become ―rules of thumb.‖ We cannot fault the public for falling sway to popular psychological myths (e.g., Humans only use 10% of their brain power/subliminal messages persuade people to purchase products) but what about students studying psychology? Past research has indicated that these misconceptions are difficult to overcome, but it is possible through experience and learning in the field of psychology. Lilienfeld, Lynn, Ruscio, and Beyerstein (2010) recently identified common myths in the book, 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology. The current study is the first in series dedicated to investigating the underlying cognitive processes that support misconception revision in psychology students. A questionnaire was developed and administered to 75 students taking psychology courses to validate the 50 myths identified by Lilienfeld et al. Results on the questionnaire indicated that the majority of students believed these myths to be true. Scores on the questionnaire differed as a function of number of classes taken, whether the participant was a major or non major, and year of study in the major. These results as well as plans for future research will be discussed.

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Apr 4th, 1:30 PM Apr 4th, 3:00 PM

Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power: Misconception Identification & Revision in Psychology Students

CSU 201

Not surprising, information conveyed to the public as ―psychology‖ is not always grounded in scientific research and many times consists of thoughts of human behavior that have become ―rules of thumb.‖ We cannot fault the public for falling sway to popular psychological myths (e.g., Humans only use 10% of their brain power/subliminal messages persuade people to purchase products) but what about students studying psychology? Past research has indicated that these misconceptions are difficult to overcome, but it is possible through experience and learning in the field of psychology. Lilienfeld, Lynn, Ruscio, and Beyerstein (2010) recently identified common myths in the book, 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology. The current study is the first in series dedicated to investigating the underlying cognitive processes that support misconception revision in psychology students. A questionnaire was developed and administered to 75 students taking psychology courses to validate the 50 myths identified by Lilienfeld et al. Results on the questionnaire indicated that the majority of students believed these myths to be true. Scores on the questionnaire differed as a function of number of classes taken, whether the participant was a major or non major, and year of study in the major. These results as well as plans for future research will be discussed.

Recommended Citation

Gilbert-Schwarck, Sarah and Samuel Erickson. "Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power: Misconception Identification & Revision in Psychology Students." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 4, 2011.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2011/oral-session-07/2