5 Myths about psychology (I)

Today is the day of the psychologist in Spain which is a good day to devote an entry to dispel some of the myths of psychology.

Myth 1: There are significant psychological differences between men and women.

False. Between men and women there are significant differences in functional and physical level but the truth is that psychologically are not excessive. For example, it is believed that women are better at language tasks than men, but the fact is that despite being an inch high score differences are negligible. The same applies to the case of false thinking that men scored better on perceptual tasks. They do, but the difference is not significant. In fact, in both cases there is a percentage of women or men better. Graphic spatial perception normal distribution normal distribution chart language tests.

Myth 2: We learn best when information is presented in our favorite style of learning.

False. There is no evidence to support that it is better to learn through a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learning according to individual preferences. The best format of education does not depend on one, but what about learning. To match the format of presentation learned material. ¿Would learn to drive just reading you the books without kinesthetic learning behind the wheel?

Myth 3: Intelligence is the product of education.

False. First the difference between having education and being formed. An educated person is one who is grateful if you make a gift and a trained person is one who has studied. However, intelligence is given according to studies for 50% of the genes and 50% for the environment and yet this will be influenced by the social class in which live the subject, so that not only the training will the intelligence.

Myth 4: The ink test psychologists use to assess personality.

False. Rorschach tests are not valid to assess the personality of the people and psychologists today do not use them. Recent studies estimate that one-sixth of normal people tested with this test presented symptoms of schizophrenia. Today questionnaires are used.

Myth 5: The creative people use more right brain.

False. The whatever we do interact both sides of the brain. The myth is that the left brain is logical (good at math) and that the right is more creative, so the right hemisphere is better for music, painting, etc. One reason, perhaps, that this myth has survived is because there is a slight grain of truth.

A related myth that this is the thought that left-handed people are more creative than right-handed. The myth is based on the brain controls the opposite hands which have slightly more activity has the right, but this does not mean that they are more creative in itself. The truth of the myth is that ambidextrous people themselves are more creative because they use both brain hemispheres and since there is a higher percentage of which are left-handed ambidextrous myth has a grain of truth but not as people think.

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Source: Based in the TED conference by Ben Ambridge – 10 myths about psychology.