Module Overview11.html

Cognitive Neuroscience

Many students have a love/hate relationship with cognitive neuroscience, a subbranch of cognitive psychology. Cognitive neuroscience can be a rewarding and fascinating area of study because it provides us with insights into how our brains work. On the other hand, the field sometimes relies on difficult or confusing terminology and uses advanced research methods and technologies like functional magnetic resonance imaging (or fMRI, a test that relies on using radio waves to disrupt protons in the brain). The complicated nature of these methods can be difficult to understand and follow, but as you progress in your studies of cognitive processes, you will begin to understand that our brains use sophisticated systems for completing complex tasks. For example, as you read your textbook, you are engaging visual areas, language areas, and motor areas of your brain. Research into cognitive neuroscience has shown us that all of these areas are highly connected and rely on feedback from each other for a behavior such as reading to occur correctly.

Research also shows that even small disruptions in the brain can lead to serious changes in behavior. For example, consider the system in the brain for reading. It generally works in concert with our ability to write. Yet, individuals with a condition called alexia (the inability to read) without agraphia (the inability to write) are able to write, but unable to read what they have written. The condition occurs as a result of very specific brain damage that interferes with the ability to read but spares the ability to write. Through findings from cognitive neuroscience, we can begin to understand conditions like this and come to a more complete understanding of how the brain works. These types of findings can also give us insight into more common disorders, such as dyslexia. “Dyslexia is an international issue that crosses borders and generations” (Maunsell, 2020, p. 104). Although this is a universal issue, those with dyslexia fall through the cracks. Appropriate and clear guidelines and trainings for teachers need to be developed to use globally. Such universal guidelines would better serve the diverse population (Maunsell, 2020).
In this module, you will get an introduction to the field of cognitive neuroscience that will help you understand how the brain works. This week’s readings discuss the structures and functions of the brain, as well as research methods in cognitive neuroscience. Having a good foundation in basic brain anatomy is important, not just for understanding research in cognitive neuroscience but to support your entire study of cognitive psychology. For instance, researchers in the field of memory might use techniques like fMRI to examine how memory works at a neurological level. Thus, your background in brain anatomy and cognitive neuroscience will help you interpret and apply research related to key concepts in cognitive processing. As we move through this course, we will examine specific aspects of cognition like perception, attention, and memory, and you will continue to learn about the different areas of the brain that participate in these aspects of cognition.

Researchers are constantly identifying new applications of cognitive neuroscience research. One of the biggest areas of application is education. Although cognitive neuroscience can help us learn quite a bit about learning and the brain, many educators believe in misapplications of cognitive neuroscience or “neuromyths.” For example, Dekker et al. (2012) found that about half of teachers believed neuromyths, such as “We use only 10% of our brains” or “Short bouts of coordination exercises can improve integration of left and right hemispheric brain function.” Even more interesting is the finding that individuals with more knowledge of the brain were more likely to believe in these myths. Education is not the only area where cognitive neuroscience has been misapplied. For example, Weisberg at al. (2008) found that individuals who were novices in neuroscience and individuals who were students in a cognitive neuroscience course rated bad explanations more favorably when they included neuroscience information. In contrast, individuals who were neuroscience experts were not influenced by the inclusion of neuroscience information in an explanation. These results suggest that the vast majority of individuals readily accept explanations that include neuroscience, even if the explanations are not accurate. As a result, we need to be cautious when applying neuroscience information to different professional settings. Additionally, as consumers of information, we should be critical of the use of neuroscience. For example, teachers who want to practice brain-based teaching should read and understand the research before they attempt to apply it in their classroom. They should be sure that they are using accurate methods to improve their teaching. Because the world includes culturally and linguistically rich and diverse populations, methods should be used in the decision making and instruction of all students, including students with dyslexia. To address these needs, teachers need to receive the education to do so, which includes culturally appropriate techniques with an international perspective across languages (Maunsell, 2020). By fully understanding principles of cognitive neuroscience as well as the research methods of the field, we can begin to understand which findings have real practical applications.

References

Dekker, S., Lee, N., Howard-Jones, P., & Jolles, J. (2012). Neuromyths in education: Prevalence and predictors of misconceptions among teachers. Frontiers in Psychology, 3(429), 1–8.

Maunsell, M. (2020). Dyslexia in a global context: A cross-linguistic, cross-cultural perspective. Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning, 13(1), 92–113. 

Weisberg, D. S., Keil, F. C., Goodstein, J., Rawson, E., & Gray, J. R. (2008). The seductive allure of neuroscience explanations. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 20(3), 470–477.