The reported effects of neuroscience literacy and belief in neuromyths among parents of adolescents

I. Benneker; N.C. Lee; S. Altikulaç; C. van der Veen; L. Krabbendam; N. van Atteveldt

doi:10.22323/2.22020206

The reported effects of neuroscience literacy and belief in neuromyths among parents of adolescents

I. Benneker, N.C. Lee, S. Altikulaç, C. van der Veen, L. Krabbendam, N. van Atteveldt

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Neuroscience research has increased our understanding of brain development, but little is known about how parents of adolescents engage with this neuroscientific information. Dutch parents completed a digital survey on neuromyths, neuroscience literacy and views of the adolescent brain and behaviour. These parents believed 44.7% of neuromyths and showed reasonable neuroscience literacy (79.8%). Stronger neuromyth belief predicted a more negative view on adolescent brain development. About 68% of the parents reported that they had changed their parenting behaviour based on their understanding of neuroscientific findings. These self-reported changes most often reflected changes to parents’ own behaviour. The results of this study underline the importance for scientists and parents to engage in scientific activities to promote respectful and trusting relationships between them. These relationships have the potential to make communication about adolescent brain development between scientists and parents more effective and will empower parents to use correct information as a basis for their decisions around raising their adolescents.

Original language	English
Article number	A06
Number of pages	26
Journal	Journal of Science Communication
Volume	22
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.22323/2.22020206
Publication status	Published - 8 May 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work is part of the research programme ‘Promotiebeurs voor leraren’ with project number 023.011.066, which is (partly) financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This work is further supported by a European Research Council Starting Grant 716736 (BRAINBELIEFS).

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s). This article is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution — NonCommercial — NoDerivativeWorks 4.0 License.

Funding

Funders	Funder number
European Research Council	716736
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

Keywords

Popularization of science and technology
Public perception of science and technology
Public understanding of science and technology

Access to Document

10.22323/2.22020206Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

jcom-1233-bennekerFinal published version, 608 KBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

@article{ed7b7c481d584666a5bccc578a4adda3,

title = "The reported effects of neuroscience literacy and belief in neuromyths among parents of adolescents",

abstract = "Neuroscience research has increased our understanding of brain development, but little is known about how parents of adolescents engage with this neuroscientific information. Dutch parents completed a digital survey on neuromyths, neuroscience literacy and views of the adolescent brain and behaviour. These parents believed 44.7% of neuromyths and showed reasonable neuroscience literacy (79.8%). Stronger neuromyth belief predicted a more negative view on adolescent brain development. About 68% of the parents reported that they had changed their parenting behaviour based on their understanding of neuroscientific findings. These self-reported changes most often reflected changes to parents{\textquoteright} own behaviour. The results of this study underline the importance for scientists and parents to engage in scientific activities to promote respectful and trusting relationships between them. These relationships have the potential to make communication about adolescent brain development between scientists and parents more effective and will empower parents to use correct information as a basis for their decisions around raising their adolescents.",

keywords = "Popularization of science and technology, Public perception of science and technology, Public understanding of science and technology",

author = "I. Benneker and N.C. Lee and S. Altikula{\c c} and {van der Veen}, C. and L. Krabbendam and {van Atteveldt}, N.",

note = "Funding Information: This work is part of the research programme {\textquoteleft}Promotiebeurs voor leraren{\textquoteright} with project number 023.011.066, which is (partly) financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This work is further supported by a European Research Council Starting Grant 716736 (BRAINBELIEFS). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s). This article is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution — NonCommercial — NoDerivativeWorks 4.0 License.",

year = "2023",

month = may,

day = "8",

doi = "10.22323/2.22020206",

language = "English",

volume = "22",

journal = "Journal of Science Communication",

issn = "1824-2049",

publisher = "Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA)",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The reported effects of neuroscience literacy and belief in neuromyths among parents of adolescents

AU - Benneker, I.

AU - Lee, N.C.

AU - Altikulaç, S.

AU - van der Veen, C.

AU - Krabbendam, L.

AU - van Atteveldt, N.

N1 - Funding Information: This work is part of the research programme ‘Promotiebeurs voor leraren’ with project number 023.011.066, which is (partly) financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). This work is further supported by a European Research Council Starting Grant 716736 (BRAINBELIEFS). Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s). This article is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution — NonCommercial — NoDerivativeWorks 4.0 License.

PY - 2023/5/8

Y1 - 2023/5/8

N2 - Neuroscience research has increased our understanding of brain development, but little is known about how parents of adolescents engage with this neuroscientific information. Dutch parents completed a digital survey on neuromyths, neuroscience literacy and views of the adolescent brain and behaviour. These parents believed 44.7% of neuromyths and showed reasonable neuroscience literacy (79.8%). Stronger neuromyth belief predicted a more negative view on adolescent brain development. About 68% of the parents reported that they had changed their parenting behaviour based on their understanding of neuroscientific findings. These self-reported changes most often reflected changes to parents’ own behaviour. The results of this study underline the importance for scientists and parents to engage in scientific activities to promote respectful and trusting relationships between them. These relationships have the potential to make communication about adolescent brain development between scientists and parents more effective and will empower parents to use correct information as a basis for their decisions around raising their adolescents.

AB - Neuroscience research has increased our understanding of brain development, but little is known about how parents of adolescents engage with this neuroscientific information. Dutch parents completed a digital survey on neuromyths, neuroscience literacy and views of the adolescent brain and behaviour. These parents believed 44.7% of neuromyths and showed reasonable neuroscience literacy (79.8%). Stronger neuromyth belief predicted a more negative view on adolescent brain development. About 68% of the parents reported that they had changed their parenting behaviour based on their understanding of neuroscientific findings. These self-reported changes most often reflected changes to parents’ own behaviour. The results of this study underline the importance for scientists and parents to engage in scientific activities to promote respectful and trusting relationships between them. These relationships have the potential to make communication about adolescent brain development between scientists and parents more effective and will empower parents to use correct information as a basis for their decisions around raising their adolescents.

KW - Popularization of science and technology

KW - Public perception of science and technology

KW - Public understanding of science and technology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85162103754&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.22323/2.22020206

DO - 10.22323/2.22020206

M3 - Article

SN - 1824-2049

VL - 22

JO - Journal of Science Communication

JF - Journal of Science Communication

IS - 2

M1 - A06

ER -

The reported effects of neuroscience literacy and belief in neuromyths among parents of adolescents

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this