"Do octopuses have a brain?" Knowledge, perceptions and attitudes towards neuroscience at school.

ABSTRACT: The present study contributes to the question of school literacy about the brain, with an original survey conducted on Italian students from the 3(rd) to 10(th) grades (n=508). The main goal was to test student's knowledge, attitudes, and interests about neuroscience, to assess needs, prospects, and difficulties in teaching about the brain from elementary to high school. A written questionnaire, maintaining anonymity, asked 12 close-ended multiple choice questions on topics related to human and animal brains, plus one facultative open-ended question about interests and curiosities on brain topics. The results show that respondents have a fragmentary level of basic knowledge about the brain, with aspects related to brain functions and consciousness the most challenging. As expected, degrees

SUBMITTER: Sperduti A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3474737 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature