Chapter 4 Quiz: The Myth Graveyard

Test your understanding of the evidence on learning myths. For each question, choose the best answer.

Question 1

What specific type of experimental result would be required to confirm the learning styles "meshing hypothesis"?

A) Evidence that students prefer instruction delivered in their dominant learning style B) Evidence that students feel more engaged when instruction matches their learning style C) A crossover interaction where each style group learns better from matched instruction than from mismatched instruction D) Evidence that teacher effort is higher when instruction is differentiated by learning style

Question 2

What did Pashler and colleagues conclude in their landmark 2008 review of learning styles research?

A) The evidence for learning styles was strong but needed more research to be definitive B) Learning styles work for younger students but not for adults C) The meshing hypothesis had been consistently tested and had consistently failed D) Learning styles are valid for kinesthetic learners but not for visual or auditory learners

Question 3

According to Rayner et al.'s 2016 review, what happens to comprehension when people use speed reading techniques to read above approximately 400-500 words per minute?

A) Comprehension stays the same but recall decreases after one week B) Comprehension drops to levels consistent with skimming C) Comprehension actually improves due to reduced cognitive load D) Comprehension is maintained but takes longer to consolidate in memory

Question 4

Why does Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) — the technique used in apps like Spritz — tend to reduce comprehension for complex material?

A) The flashing is too fast for the visual system to process the words B) It increases subvocalization beyond normal levels C) It eliminates the ability to re-read when comprehension fails D) The peripheral visual field is more important for reading than the center

Question 5

Sophie Leroy's research on "attention residue" found that switching from one task to another:

A) Takes about 30 seconds to fully recover from B) Is impossible for 98% of people to do without significant performance degradation C) Leaves residual attention on the previous task that takes 15-25 minutes to fully clear D) Only affects complex tasks; simple tasks can be switched between without cost

Question 6

Watson and Strayer's research on multitasking found that genuine multitasking ability — the ability to handle two demanding tasks simultaneously without performance degradation — applies to approximately what percentage of the population?

A) About 25% B) About 10% C) About 5% D) About 2%

Question 7

What was Anders Ericsson's actual research finding about expertise, which Malcolm Gladwell oversimplified in Outliers?

A) That 10,000 hours of practice in any domain produces world-class expertise B) That elite violinists practiced more total hours than non-elite violinists, but the research was specifically about deliberate practice, not hours alone C) That talent is irrelevant to expertise and only practice hours matter D) That 10,000 hours is the minimum threshold, and more hours always produce more expertise

Question 8

MacNamara et al.'s 2014 meta-analysis on deliberate practice found that deliberate practice accounted for approximately what percentage of variance in performance across domains?

A) 60-80%, confirming that practice is the primary determinant of expertise B) 40-50%, suggesting practice is important but not dominant C) 18-26%, depending on domain — substantial but not the whole story D) Less than 5%, suggesting initial talent is the primary determinant

Question 9

What did Nielsen and Anderson's 2013 fMRI study of over 1,000 people find regarding left-brain/right-brain differences?

A) They found strong evidence for individual hemisphere dominance that aligns with personality types B) They found hemisphere dominance in language but not creativity, partially confirming the model C) They found no evidence that individuals systematically favor one hemisphere in ways that produce left-brained or right-brained personality types D) They found the left-brain/right-brain model applies to men but not women

Question 10

What is the best argument against the belief that we only use 10% of our brains?

A) Pharmaceutical interventions that should unlock dormant capacity don't improve intelligence B) Brain scans show all regions active during complex tasks, and metabolically expensive neural tissue would have been eliminated by evolution if unused C) People who suffer brain damage in almost any region show deficits, suggesting all regions are important D) Both B and C

Question 11

What is the "kernel of truth" in the learning styles myth?

A) Students who are told their learning style learn faster than students who are not B) Kinesthetic learning is genuinely superior for all types of material C) People do have genuine preferences for modes of presentation, but preference and learning efficiency are not the same thing D) Learning styles are valid for students under age 12 but not for adults

Question 12

Which of the following correctly describes how research on the Mozart Effect should be interpreted?

A) Listening to classical music reliably improves general intelligence B) Playing classical music to infants has been shown to have lasting effects on IQ C) One study found a brief, specific spatial reasoning boost after Mozart; it has not consistently replicated and does not generalize to intelligence broadly D) The Mozart Effect is a well-established finding that applies to complex music only

Answer Key

  1. C — The crossover interaction is what's required; preference and engagement measures don't confirm the hypothesis
  2. C — Pashler et al.'s conclusion was that the meshing hypothesis had failed, not that more research was needed
  3. B — Comprehension drops to skimming levels above approximately 400-500 wpm
  4. C — RSVP eliminates re-reading ability, which is critical for complex material
  5. C — 15-25 minutes of attention residue after task switching
  6. D — Approximately 2% (supertaskers)
  7. B — Ericsson's research was about deliberate practice, not just hours
  8. C — 18-26% depending on domain
  9. C — No evidence for individual hemisphere dominance as personality types
  10. D — Both the evolution argument and the brain damage argument are compelling
  11. C — Preference is real; its effect on learning is not
  12. C — One study, specific effect, hasn't replicated broadly