7-1 Discussion: Ethics of Neuroeducation
According to the article, "The Persistence of Neuromyths in the Educational Settings," a
neuromyth can be described as “a misconception generated by a misunderstanding, a misreading, or a
misquoting of facts scientifically established (by brain research) to make a case for the use of brain
research in education and other contexts.” The neuromyth that I chose to research is that we only use
10 percent of our brain. This myth appears to be the most long-standing, having endured for more than
a century. Although the exact source of this neuromyth is unknown, some claim that a misinterpretation
of a statement in a 1907 article by William James is to blame. In the article, James states, "most of us
feel as if we lived habitually with a sort of cloud weighing on us, below our highest notch of clearness in
discernment, sureness in reasoning, or firmness in deciding. Compared with what we ought to be, we
are only half awake. Our fires are damped, our drafts are checked. We are making use of only a small
part of our possible mental and physical resources" (Chew, S.L., 2018). Albert Einstein, a physicist, then
encouraged people to think more deeply and invited them to expand their potential by using more than
10% of their brain, but he had no idea that his words would lead to such a massive misunderstanding.
Additionally, the notion that people only employ 10% of their brain may also be due to the glia-neuron
rate (white matter-gray matter), which is one for every ten (Torrijos-Muelas M, González-Víllora S,
Bodoque-Osma AR., 2021). To avoid ethical issues, it is best to protect and respect participant's privacy,
making sure everyone is in agreement, maintaining moral distance, and considering how the topic is
perceived currently such as with a stigma or discrimination (Parker, M., 2015).
References:
Chew, S.L. (August 2018). "Myth: We Only Use 10% of Our Brains. Association for Psychological Science.
Retrieved August 10, 2022 from https://www.psychologicalscience.org/teaching/myth-we-only-use-10-
of-our-brains.html
Parker, M. (2015). Exploring the Ethical Imperative for Data Sharing. Retrieved August
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK321546/
Torrijos-Muelas M, González-Víllora S, Bodoque-Osma AR. (2021). The Persistence of Neuromyths in the
Educational Settings: A Systematic Review. The National Library of Medicine. 12;11:591923. doi:
10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591923. PMID: 33510675; PMCID: PMC7835631.
