Chapter 11: Further Reading

Essential Sources

Nielsen, J. A., et al. (2013). "An evaluation of the left-brain vs. right-brain hypothesis with resting state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging." PLOS ONE, 8(8), e71275. The definitive study: 1,011 brain scans finding no evidence for hemispheric dominance. The death knell for the left-brain/right-brain personality model.

Simons, D. J., Boot, W. R., Charness, N., et al. (2016). "Do 'brain-training' programs work?" Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 17(3), 103–186. The most authoritative review of brain training evidence. Conclusion: "little evidence" for broad cognitive benefits. Published in the field's premier review journal.

Pietschnig, J., Voracek, M., & Formann, A. K. (2010). "Mozart effect–Shmozart effect: A meta-analysis." Intelligence, 38(3), 314–323. Meta-analysis showing the Mozart Effect is very small, not Mozart-specific, and likely driven by mood/arousal. The definitive debunking.

Weisberg, D. S., Keil, F. C., Goodstein, J., et al. (2008). "The seductive allure of neuroscience explanations." Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 20(3), 470–477. The classic study demonstrating that irrelevant neuroscience language makes explanations seem more credible. Essential reading on the psychology of brain-based pseudoscience.

Owen, A. M., Hampshire, A., Grahn, J. A., et al. (2010). "Putting brain training to the test." Nature, 465(7299), 775–778. Online study with 11,000+ participants showing no far transfer from brain training. Large sample, clean design.

Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L., & Ky, C. N. (1993). "Music and spatial task performance." Nature, 365(6447), 611. The original Mozart Effect paper — short, modest, and nothing like what the popular version claims.

Zimmerman, F. J., Christakis, D. A., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2007). "Associations between media viewing and language development in children under age 2 years." Journal of Pediatrics, 151(4), 364–368. The study finding that Baby Einstein viewing was associated with smaller, not larger, vocabularies. Correlational but directly contradicting the marketing premise.

Lilienfeld, S. O., et al. (2010). 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology. Wiley-Blackwell. Chapters on the 10% myth and left-brain/right-brain myth, with comprehensive reference lists.

Burnett, D. (2016). Idiot Brain: What Your Head Is Really Up To. W. W. Norton. A neuroscientist's entertaining guide to how the brain actually works, debunking numerous neuromyths along the way.

Jarrett, C. (2014). Great Myths of the Brain. Wiley-Blackwell. Comprehensive debunking of brain-related myths including the 10%, left/right brain, and brain training claims.

Online Resources

Neuromyths project (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). OECD research on the prevalence and impact of neuromyths in education.

Federal Trade Commission: Lumosity settlement. The full FTC case file and settlement documents, useful for understanding how misleading brain training claims were evaluated by regulators.