Title |
On the (non)persuasive power of a brain image
|
---|---|
Published in |
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, February 2013
|
DOI | 10.3758/s13423-013-0391-6 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Robert B. Michael, Eryn J. Newman, Matti Vuorre, Geoff Cumming, Maryanne Garry |
Abstract |
The persuasive power of brain images has captivated scholars in many disciplines. Like others, we too were intrigued by the finding that a brain image makes accompanying information more credible (McCabe & Castel in Cognition 107:343-352, 2008). But when our attempts to build on this effect failed, we instead ran a series of systematic replications of the original study-comprising 10 experiments and nearly 2,000 subjects. When we combined the original data with ours in a meta-analysis, we arrived at a more precise estimate of the effect, determining that a brain image exerted little to no influence. The persistent meme of the influential brain image should be viewed with a critical eye. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 38 | 27% |
United Kingdom | 16 | 11% |
Netherlands | 6 | 4% |
Japan | 5 | 4% |
Spain | 5 | 4% |
Canada | 4 | 3% |
Germany | 2 | 1% |
Denmark | 2 | 1% |
Comoros | 2 | 1% |
Other | 10 | 7% |
Unknown | 52 | 37% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 78 | 55% |
Scientists | 51 | 36% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 7 | 5% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 6 | 4% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 4 | 2% |
Germany | 3 | 2% |
Netherlands | 2 | 1% |
Norway | 1 | <1% |
United Kingdom | 1 | <1% |
Spain | 1 | <1% |
Russia | 1 | <1% |
Luxembourg | 1 | <1% |
Poland | 1 | <1% |
Other | 0 | 0% |
Unknown | 160 | 91% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 30 | 17% |
Student > Bachelor | 30 | 17% |
Student > Master | 26 | 15% |
Researcher | 24 | 14% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 9 | 5% |
Other | 33 | 19% |
Unknown | 23 | 13% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Psychology | 98 | 56% |
Neuroscience | 15 | 9% |
Social Sciences | 7 | 4% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 3 | 2% |
Engineering | 2 | 1% |
Other | 17 | 10% |
Unknown | 33 | 19% |