Quiz 3 - Myths Of Cognitive Science

Question 1

Myth - We only use 10% of our brain

Answer 1

We use all of our brain
If any part of the brain is injured we suffer deficits
Evolution would not build a brain that is not utilized/maximized to ensure evolution continues
Brains use 20% of our energy but it is only 2% of our body mass
We believe the 10% myth due to wishful thinking - untapped potential - people want to believe in paranormal - people want to make money on you by tapping into this
It is true people can lose whole brain hemispheres and still function normally - the brain has redundancy ie backs up all information - if 70% of neurons were removed randomly we are not sure how bad off we would be

Question 2

Myth - Psychic Powers are real

Answer 2

There are several cognitive biases that make us believe that psychic powers are real
Confirmation biases - we seek information to prove what we want to believe
Wishful thinking
Neglect of negative results in experiments to prove otherwise

Question 3

Myth - Listening to Mozart makes baby smarter

Answer 3

We believe because we hope it is true
Effect is small, short term and only based on arousal - heavy rock could achieve same result
You get same effect from listening to a Stephen King novel

Question 4

Myth - IQ Tests are biased

Answer 4

If this was true IQ tests would under predict later success for certain groups and over predict or others - this does not happen
IQ test - tests general intelligence - scientists have concluded not biased
Analysis is used to identify bad test questions - extra questions added to test to test questions and eliminate bad questions

Question 5

Myth - There are multiple intelligences

Answer 5

Music, visual, verbal, logical, interpersonal, intrapersonal - if good at one, good at all
Gardner the theory developer no longer believed - did not test theory - several fields of knowledge have advanced significantly since then

Question 6

Myth - Brain Training makes you smarter

Answer 6

Weak evidence daily training games make you smarter
Don’t waste your time
How to get effectively smarter - read, study, take electives, stretch your mind

Question 7

Happiness

Answer 7

Money and happiness - money correlates with happiness but matters less as you get richer
Life events don’t affect happiness much
Lottery winners have happiness changes that only last months
Things that do affect us ie divorce, getting fired
Much of your happiness (60%) is genetic
Two kinds of happiness - pleasure - day to day - life satisfactions

Question 8

Myth - full moon makes people act differently

Answer 8

Confirmation bias - you support things that support your view - it’s not true
Theories - gravity - moons gravity doesn’t have strong effect on humans

Question 9

How does science work?

Answer 9

Generation of a theory - a theory is an explanation that suggests existence of a theoretical entity that cannot be measured directly
Theories make predictions about the world
Predictions become ‘hypotheses’ that can be tested with experiments
Experiments have control over participants and conditions - they manipulate something
Quasi =scientific ideas that resemble real science but haven’t been backed up with any real evidence - experiments are observations in the real world - most political science lessons are learned from Quasi experiments

Question 10

Results and Statistics

Answer 10

Hypothesis and falsifiability
Significant probably means not due to chance - <0.05 is ‘alpha level’
We can’t look at big it’s of numbers and know if different
That’s why we need statistics
19/20 not due to chance
1/20 due to chance
95.99% - alpha level

Question 11

Science as a culture

Answer 11

Replicability
Science’s self-correcting nature
Publishing makes it public
Other scientists will attempt to disprove your theory which is good
Science as an epistemology - no other knowledge generating enterprise (ie Religion) has as rigorous self correcting mechanism ie Religion changes due to culture it is not tested
Always striving to get closer and closer to the truth