Partly through advancements in neuroimaging, many neuroscience misconceptions have been overturned, such as the belief that “we only use 10% of our brains.”[1] This is only one of many “neuromyths” that have been debunked. Another example is the triune brain theory, which has been discarded by most neuroscientists but remains in use amongst various ATS educators.[2] Another “neuromyth” is that the right brain is for creativity, and the left brain is for logic. Oversimplification of left and right hemisphere distinctions, sometimes called dichotomania, is seen as a mistake.[3] Making neuroscience claims about individual brains without also reflecting on the larger social context of other people, including their brains, is now generally also considered a mistake. More recent publications are using more social neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology to ground how human persons are formed in community.[4]
Some neuroscience theories are now more generally accepted as science, while others remain theories or are discarded as inaccurate. One example is how attachment theory is now often called attachment science as it has become more generally accepted within the scientific community.[5] In another example, author Curt Thompson, popular amongst ATS educators, reflects on Polyvagal Theory. Many prominent neuroscientists continue to refute Polyvagal Theory as unsubstantiated, even as it has many strong advocates such as Stephen Porges.[6] The literature review and research data from the survey responses of this study demonstrated that Polyvagal Theory has widespread influence amongst ATS educators, though remains a theory that may be modified in the future. Rather than avoiding neuroscience as a whole, many educators find relevance even while knowing that particular claims may be later overturned or evolve.[7]
[1] Prominent scientists sometimes also retract their own research claims after subsequent evidence, such as Kahneman’s retraction of his book Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow; See “Retraction Watch,” http://retractionwatch.com/2017/02/20/placed-much-faith-underpowered-studies-nobel-prize-winner-admits-mistakes/.
[2] For a more thorough assessment of triune brain theory’s disuse, see Barrett, 7 ½ Lessons About the Brain, 2020; See also Gazzaniga, Ivry, and Mangun, Cognitive Neuroscience, 2018; Dan Siegel, who developed the hand model of the brain, notes that “although the old three-part model of the brain is no longer considered complete or accurate, it does provide a useful initial way of diving into the anatomy of the brain if the model’s limitations are acknowledged from the outset” in Siegel, The Developing Mind, 36.
[3] For more on lateralization (left and right hemisphere distinctions) see McGilchrist, The Master and His Emissary, 2019; See also McGilchrist, The Matter with Things, 2021.
[4] See Siegel, The Developing Mind, 2020. Appendix A has more descriptive background on Siegel.
[5] See Mayfield, Attached to God, xvii. Northern Seminary’s Geoffrey Holsclaw advocates this book.
[6] See “Stephen Porges,” http://www.stephenporges.com/about.
[7] Another example is that various ATS educators reflect on “mirror neurons” yet there is still much disagreement regarding their function or even existence; Amy Banks, formerly a professor at Harvard Medical School, wrote that “most scientists no longer feel that specific mirror neurons exist; instead, there is a brainwide mirroring system” in Banks, Wired to Connect, 5; For more background see Rizzolatti and Sinigaglia, Mirroring Brains, 2023.
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