The division into auditory, visual and kinesthetic, like many other popular theories, is just … a myth. Isn’t it time to debunk him and find out the truth about yourself?
“We only use 10% of our brain capacity.” “Listening to Mozart makes us smarter.” “Right-brained people are more creative than others.” Scientists call these and many other claims “neuromyths”, that is, false ideas about the brain and learning.
They also include the very popular division of people into auditory, visual and kinesthetic. But over the years of the spread of this theory, many have become accustomed to consider it a part of their personality or to define their own children or students in this way.
“You see, I am visual, so I don’t perceive information by ear.” “My child is kinesthetic, so he does not want to read, but he is ready to work with toys.” Is all this a global delusion?
scientific truth
The Cognitive Health Research Laboratory at Laurentian University in Canada is studying the neuromyths of learning styles associated with the “auditory”, “visual” and “kinesthetic” features of people.
It turned out that 90% of Canadian teachers are convinced that this division is correct. Based on it, they build ways of learning and interacting with children. But are the differences in the development of the brain of different people so great?
Of the 100 billion neurons that are already in a baby’s brain at birth, each one develops a unique network of synaptic connections. But this development does not make the brain of one person completely different from the brain of another. In other words, neither auditory, nor visual, nor tactile perception “leads” as the main way of communicating with the world.
For skeptics, scientists suggest taking a photo of a person being bitten by mosquitoes. Show this photo to an “auditory” friend without warning, and you will see that he will begin to react kinesthetically, that is, scratching his skin without realizing it. This is what the actual functioning of the brain looks like.
Self-fulfilling prophecies
Are neuromyths so harmless? It would seem – well, a person considers himself this or that. So what? But in fact, false beliefs about yourself, about children or students work like “self-fulfilling prophecies.” That is, we program ourselves with their help.
If you or your child show musical ability, just put the “auditory” stamp and you will lose motivation to learn other subjects such as history, literature or geometry. “I still can’t remember all these countries and continents – I’m an auditory.” We understand what that belief leads to.
But what if a child could become an excellent scientist while keeping the love of music as a hobby? Neuromyths can close many possibilities for a person. Such prejudices are especially harmful for teachers and tutors who build training programs based on a false concept.
What really needs to be taken into account? That the human brain likes to perceive the world with different senses. This strengthens the synaptic connections between them. Therefore, educational materials, classes, speeches, presentations and other ways of presenting information in our daily life should involve both visual, auditory and tactile methods of perception.