Psychological Misconceptions and Beliefs in Education
Summary
Psychological misconceptions in educational contexts are erroneous or oversimplified beliefs about cognitive processes, learning strategies and developmental phenomena that persist among students, teachers and the wider public. Such myths may include the notion that individuals use only 10 per cent of their brains, that learning styles determine optimal teaching methods, or that intelligence is fixed rather than malleable. These misconceptions can undermine evidence‐based pedagogy, skew self‐assessment and hinder the adoption of effective interventions. Research has shown that misconceptions are stable and resistant to change, often perpetuated by popular media, inadequately scrutinised textbooks and unrefutated classroom anecdotes. Addressing these beliefs is crucial for fostering critical thinking, improving teacher preparation and enhancing learners’ scientific literacy. Educational interventions that directly refute myths, trigger conceptual inconsistency and encourage reflection on epistemic principles have demonstrated promise in promoting durable conceptual change. Globally, dispelling psychological misconceptions supports more equitable and effective teaching practices, empowering educators and learners to base decisions on reliable evidence rather than anecdote or intuition.
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Psychological Misconceptions and Beliefs in Education publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in psychological misconceptions and beliefs in education across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Misconception: A widely held but erroneous belief about a psychological concept or learning process.
Refutational text: Instructional material that explicitly presents a misconception and then provides evidence and reasoning to correct it.
Conceptual change: The process by which learners replace or significantly revise their existing mental models in light of new, more accurate information.
Epistemic belief: An individual’s views about the nature of knowledge and knowing, including criteria for evaluating sources and certainty of information.
References
- Refuting Misconceptions in an Introductory Psychology Course for Preservice Teachers. Psychology Learning & Teaching (2022).
- Myths in psychology: psychological misconceptions among Spanish psychology students. PeerJ (2022).
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