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The persistence of a misconception about vision after educational interventions
V R Gregg1, G A Winer, J E Cottrell
1Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|November 10, 2001
Summary
Many people believe vision involves eye emissions (extramission). Educational interventions showed limited success in correcting this misconception, highlighting the persistence of these intuitive beliefs about sight.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Educational Psychology
- Philosophy of Science
Background:
- Intuitive beliefs about vision, such as extramission (vision as eye emissions), are common across age groups.
- These beliefs, similar to other scientific misconceptions, may be resistant to traditional educational approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the robustness of extramission beliefs in children and adults.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of different educational interventions on correcting these misconceptions.
Main Methods:
- Experiments were designed to test the strength and persistence of extramission beliefs.
- Participants received traditional college-level education, simplified lessons on visual input, or direct counter-misconception instruction.
Main Results:
- Traditional education had minimal impact on extramission beliefs.
- Targeted lessons improved understanding, particularly for younger participants, but effects were often short-term for older individuals.
- Extramission beliefs demonstrated significant robustness despite educational interventions.
Conclusions:
- Extramission beliefs are remarkably persistent and resistant to change.
- While some educational strategies can mitigate these misconceptions, long-term retention remains a challenge, especially in older populations.
- Further research is needed to develop more effective methods for overcoming deeply ingrained intuitive scientific beliefs.