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Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain
Separating fact from fiction
Edited by Sergio Della Sala
552 pages
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numerous tables, line drawings, black and white illustrations and 2 colour plates
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246x171mm
978-0-19-856877-3
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Paperback
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11 January 2007
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- A fascinating look at a vast range of myths that exist about the mind and brain, examining why people believe them, the truth behind them, and how they came about in the first place
- Written to be accessible to those with minimal knowledge of the brain sciences
- Covers a wide range of topics frequently discussed in the popular press
Does listening to Mozart make us more intelligent? Is there such a thing as a gay gene? Does the size of the brain matter? Does the moon influence our behaviour? Can we communicate with the dead? Can graphology tell us anything about a person's character? Is the human brain clonable? What role do dreams have in cognition? Can mind conquer matter and diseases? Are out-of-body experiences possible? Can we trust our intuitions?
To some, the answer to all these questions might well be a resounding 'no', but to many people these represent serious beliefs about the mind and brain - beliefs that drive their everyday behaviour,
beliefs that cost them huge amounts of money. Whole industries have developed founded on these dubious claims about the mind and brain. Even major corporations have dabbled with assessment methods such as those advocated by graphology, accepting and rejecting candidates on the basic of their handwriting. Expectant parents buy books and tapes by the dozen showing them how to improve the intelligence of their child by playing them classical music. People subscribe to expensive therapies founded on beliefs rather than science, or risk their health buying books that tell them how they can conquer illness through positive thinking, perhaps at the expense of more scientifically proven treatments.
Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain presents a sweeping survey of common
myths about the mind and brain. In a lighthearted and accessible style, it exposes the truth behind these beliefs, how they are perpetuated, why people believe them, and why they might even exist in the first place.Readership: Psychologists from undergraduate level upwards; popular science readers
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Edited by Sergio Della Sala, Professor of Human Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, UK Contributors:
Mike Anderson, School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Australia
Giovanni Berlucchi, Dept of Neuroscience and Vision, University of Verona, Italy
Barry L Beyerstein, Dept of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
Olaf Blanke, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain and Mind Institute, Lausanne, Switzerland
Peter Brugger, Dept of Neurology, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
David Carey, Dept of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, UK
Zhijian Chen,
Eric H Chudler, Dept of Anesthesiology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
Seema L Clifasefi,
Michael C Corballis, Dept of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Cesare Cornoldi, Dept of Psychology, University of Padua, Italy
Nelson Cowan, Dept of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia MO, USA
Rossana DeBeni,
Sergio Della Sala, Human Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, UK
Christopher C French, Psychology Dept, Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK
Marion Funk,
Maryanne Garry, Dept of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Ken Gilhooly, School of Psychology, University of
Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
Colin Gray, Dept of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, UK
James Handel,
Ray Hyman, Eugene OR, USA
Peter Lamont, School of Psychology, Philosophy & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK
Elizabeth Loftus, Dept of Psychology & Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, USA
Samantha Mann,
Amina Memon, Dept of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, UK
Nick Miller, Speech & Language Sciences, University of Newcastle, UK
Candice C Morey,
David G Myers, Dept of Psychology, Hope College, Holland, USA
Massimo Polidoro, Milan, Italy
Wallace I Sampson,
Julia Santomauro,
Fernando Saravi, Faculty of
Medical Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
Mark Solms, Depts of Neurology and Psychology, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Antonella Sorace, Dept of Theoretical & Applied Linguistics, University of Edinburgh, UK
Zarka Stojanovic,
Deryn Strange,
Rachel Sutherland,
Don Thomson,
Gregor Thut,
Oliver Turnbull, School of Psychology, University of Wales, Bangor, UK
Aldert Vrij, Psychology Dept, University of Portsmouth, UK
Krissy Wilson
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"...this book is so well written and balanced that it will make for enriching and entertaining reading for readers at any level. It manages to have a scientific foundation, yet presents clinically intriguing and practical, relevant cases. It is refreshing to see a group of authors put together a critical analysis of the rampant misinformation that thrives in popular culture." - Doody's Notes "...this book is a lot of fun and hugely informative." - Journal of Consciousness Studies
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Part I - Where Do Tall Tales about the Mind and the Brain Come From?
Sergio Della Sala & Barry L. Beyerstein: Introduction - the myth of 10% and other tall tales about the mind and the brain
1: Christopher C French & Krissy Wilson: Cognitive factors underlying paranormal beliefs and experiences
2: Peter Lamont: Critically thinking about paranormal belief
3: Massimo Polidoro: The magic in the brain; how conjuring works to deceive our minds
Part II - Tall Tales on Memory and Learning
4: Nelson Cowan, Candice C Morey & Zhijian Chen: The legend of the magical number seven
5: Seema L Clifasefi, Maryanne Garry & Elizabeth Loftus: Setting the record (or video camera) straight on memory: the video camera model of memory and other memory myths
6: Amina Memon & Don Thomson: The myth of the incredible eyewitness
7: Rachel Sutherland, Deryn Strange & Maryanne Garry: We've got the whole child witness thing figured out, or do we?
Part III - Tall Tales on Intelligence
8: David Carey: Is bigger really better? The search for brain size and intelligence in the 21st century
9: Mike Anderson: Biology and intelligence: the race/IQ controversy
10: Colin Gray & Sergio Della Sala: The refined Mozart effect: let's enjoy the music
11: David G Myers: The powers and perils of intuuition
12: Ken Gilhooly: Creative thinking: the mystery myth
Part IV - Tall Tales on Language and Communication
13: Antonella Sorace: The more, the merrier: facts and beliefs about the bilingual mind
14: Nick Miller: The Merry Vibes of Wintzer: the tale of foreign accent syndrome
15: Ray Hyman: Talking with the dead, communicating with the future and other myths created by cold reading
16: Barry L Beyerstein: Graphology - a total write-off
17: Aldert Vrij & Samantha Mann: The truth about deception
Part V - Tall Tales on the Brain
18: Michael C Corballis: The dual-brain myth
19: Barry L Beyerstein: The neurology of the weird: brain states and anamalous experience
20: Giovanni Berlucchi: The myth of the clonable human brain
21: Peter Brugger & Marion Funk: Out on a limb: neglect and confabulation in the study of aplasic phantoms
22: Cesare Cornoldi & Rossana DeBeni: Imagery and blindness
23: Christopher C French & Julia Santomauro: Something wicked this way comes: causes and interpretations of sleep paralysis
Part VI - Tall Tales on the Mind
24: Eric H Chudler: The power of the full moon. Running on empty?
25: Ray Hyman: Ouija, dowsing, and other seductions of ideomotor action
26: Olaf Blanke & Gregor Thut: Inducing out-of-body experiences
27: Barry L Beyerstein, Wallace I Sampson, Zarka Stojanovic & James Handel: Can mind conquer cancer?
28: Fernando Saravi: The elusive search for a "gay gene"
29: Mark Solms & Oliver Turnbull: To sleep, perchance to REM? The rediscovered role of emotion and meaning in dreams
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