Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files
By Michael Britt
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Podcast Description
The Psych Files is a podcast for anyone interested in the topic of psychology and how ideas in this field apply to everyday life. Dr. Michael Britt brings you an upbeat, fun podcast of interest to everyone from psychology majors to those just interested in why people do what they do.
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| 1 | VideoEp: 175 - How to Protect Yourself from the Persuasive Tactics of the Car Salesperson | In the market for a car? Believe me: they have seen you coming and they are ready to use some sophisticated techniques to persuade you to buy. Be prepared. Watch this episode of The Psych Files and learn how the persuasion techniques described by psychologist Robert Cialdini are being used to change your attitudes and behavior to align with the goals of the salesman. | 5/22/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 174: The First Replication of Daryl Bem's Research on Psychic Phenomenon | Have psychologists recently found evidence for the existence of psychic ability? Last year, well-known psychologist Daryl Bem published an article called Feeling the Future in which he describes a number of studies, all of which provided support for a kind of phi phenomenon he calls "retroactive influence". The research appeared in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The article caused a storm of controversy and calls for changes to how research and the peer review process is conducted. I covered some of those recommendations in video episode 165 Psychological Research Under Fire. In this episode I interview the lead author, Stuart Ritchie, of the first published replication of one part of Bem's work. Listen as Stuart describes what he did and what he found on this very controversial topic. | 4/23/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 3 | VideoEp 173: An Interactive Neuron and Map Using ThingLink | Every once in a while a really cool tool comes along and I like to show everyone the fun I had with it. In this video episode I show how I easily made an interactive image of a neuron and an interactive map containing videos and locations for some of the major studies in psychology. Do you know where, for example, "Bobo doll" study was done? How about the spot where "Marion Keech" received her message from the alien race called the "Clarion" which revealed the inner workings of cognitive dissonance? Find out how to make your own fun and easy interactive image in this episode of The Psych Files. | 4/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 172: Interview with Natalie Nahai - The Web Psychologist | Did you know that you can apply your psychology skills to the development of effective websites? Meet one woman - Nathalie Nahai - who does exactly that and she has a background in not only psychology, but also Art, Physics and English Literature. She's putting all those together to help people improve their websites and the power of their online influence, which by the way, is the title of the book she's working on: The Psychology of Online Influence. | 4/4/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 171 Psych Files Brief #5: Yawning, Telling Jokes to Babies, Politics and Looks | A whole bunch of fascinating studies in this episode of The Psych Files! I cover the "Red Dress Effect", what exactly we're looking for in the facial characteristics of our leaders, how dark rooms might make you more likely to cheat, and how "contagious yawning" really works. Join me on this jaunt down some of the recent and fun research coming out of the fascinating field of psychology | 3/8/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 170: Is the Web Making You More Narrow-Minded? | You probably know that sites like Facebook are using the information they have about you - like your age, gender and interests - to serve up ads that are most likely to appeal to you. That's a little bit harmless and perhaps even helpful. But how about the more subtle filtering that is going on that you may not be aware of? Search engines are using information they have about you to show you news that these search tools think will most likely appeal to you based on your previous search activities. The problem with that? You might find yourself living in a bubble - sheltered from ever hearing about things you might not agree with, but which might also open your mind a bit and make you what your parents always wanted for you - to be "well-rounded". | 2/14/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 7 | VideoEp: 169 - Validity - Having Confidence in the Results of a Personality Test | In episode 168 I discussed reliability but the real test of a test's "metal" - or how confident you can be in the results - comes when you subject it to lots of validity tests. You'll learn a lot about validity if you take a psychology class. High validity is what separates the many fun-to-take but essentially meaningless tests you'll find on the web, and a truly solid test of your personality. | 2/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 8 | VideoEp 168: Reliability - the Foundation of Any Good Personality Test | Can you tell your personality from what flavor ice cream you like? There are lots and lots of so called Personality tests on the web. How do you know when you've come across a good one? For example, are the inner workings of your personality revealed in the playlists you have on your smartphone or mp3 device? In this episode we take a look at the first thing you should demand from any test - reliability. If you're interested in psychology you are going to learn A LOT about the different kinds of reliability. | 1/19/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 167: The Fat Trap – How Not to Get Discouraged About the Difficulty of Losing Weight | Guess What? Bad news: if you've ever been overweight and you're trying to lose weight it's even harder than you think. Yikes. Pretty de-motivating. However, let's see what motivational psychologists would have to say about this. How to keep from throwing up your hands at the whole effort. | 1/3/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep: 166: The Secret Life of Pronouns - an Interview with James Pennebaker | What do you reveal about yourself in the way you use the smallest and seemingly most insignificant words you use every minute? That's the focus of Dr. James Pennebaker's fascinating book and one of the most interesting psychology books of 2011: The Secret Life of Pronouns. If you're fascinated by language then you'll find this episode especially interesting. | 12/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 11 | VideoEp 165 (video): Psychological Research Under Fire - What Can We Do About It? | What's going on with Psychology? There have been a number of reports about poorly conducted or completely fraudulent research in the field. Well, there's bad research in all fields, but psychology, which has through its history struggled for scientific credibility, is particularly sensitive to this issue and many psychologists have come out with strong recommendations to make sure that our research is of the highest quality. | 11/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 164: What’s So Disgusting About Poop? | Just about everyone finds poop disgusting right? So who finds it not so disgusting? Would you believe women in their 20s who are in the middle of their menstrual cycle, and who have motherhood as one of their goals in life? Disgust has become quite a popular topic in psychology lately. Join me as I discuss one of the more interesting studies that looks at how the intensity of our emotions can be affected by our nonconscious goals. MOre interesting than you might think really. And certainly not to be poo-pooed at… | 11/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 163: Psych Files Brief#4: Animals Smiling, Yogurt Destressing, and the Psychology of Success | Do animals smile? Do they feel emotions and if so how many kinds of feelings do they share with us? In this episode we also take a look at the probiotics in yogurt - how do they affect your thinking and do they might help protect you from stress. It turns out that these probiotics increase the production of the neurotransmitter GABA which helps quiet down your neurons. I also talk about the work of female psychologists: Carol Dweck on the psychology of success, and and a tribute to Evelyn Hooker whose research helped in removing homosexuality from the DSM in 1973. | 10/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 162: How to Spend Your Money and Truly Make Yourself HappyEp 162: How to Spend Your Money and Truly Make Yourself Happy | In episode 160 I discussed the first 2 ideas on how to spend your money wisely. In this episode I'll talk about 4 more great ideas on how to get the most from your money and 2 things you have to be careful about. Get the latest findings from positive psychologists like Elizabeth Dunn<, Tim Wilson and Dan Gilbert on this episode of The Psych Files. | 10/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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EP 161: Self Help You Can Believe In: Interview with Dr. Tim Wilson, Author of Redirect | Looking for a self-help book with some meat? One that won't insult your intelligence with flowery words and hyped up promises and pseudoscience? Take a look at the book Redirect by psychologist and author Tim Wilson. Redirect will give you a lot to think about and some new insights into human nature. | 10/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 16 | VideoEp 160: How to Spend Your Money and Truly Make Yourself Happy | Why aren't rich people happier than those of us with less money? We think that money will bring happiness, but research in the area of positive psychology has consistently found that having more money does NOT make us happier. Find out how to spend your money the right way. | 9/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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EP 159 Psych Files Brief #3: Evidence in Favor of Affirmations? The Licensing Effect and the Power of Gossip | What's Wrong With a Little Gossip? While some research points out that gossipers are in general disliked, there is an upside: sharing negative gossip can actually help two people like each other better. In this episode we'll find out the benefits of sharing a tasty piece of negative gossip. The Licensing Effect If you take supplements you need to hear this news about how you might be using your taking of the supplements to "license" other activities that aren't so good for your health. Evidence in Favor of Affirmations? In a previous episode on self affirmations I presented some strongly negative evidence. However, in this study there might be a role for affirmations - especially in helping people with social anxiety to feel a bit more confident. | 9/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 158: Tired of Low Grades? 5 Ways to Raise Your Test Scores (and 1 Warning!) | But I studied!! Don't be frustrated with low grades. If you study RIGHT you will get good grades. What does that mean to study right? I've got 5 techniques that will help you get better grades and one very important warning about something you may be doing that you have to stop! Find out how to study right in this episode of The Psych Files. | 8/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 157: Do Pets and Religion Make You Happier? | You hear a lot these days about how pets make us happy. This is called the "pet effect". But is it so? The answer appears to be a qualified yes. But in what ways do pets make us happy? How strong is their effect on our lives? Also, how about religion? We also hear that religious people are happier, but is this true everywhere in the US or everywhere in the world? Why does religion make us happy and in what societies are people likely to benefit from this "religion effect"? Finally, some helpful advice on getting into grad school. | 8/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 156: Grad School in Psychology: What's It Like and How To Get In? | What do you have to do to get into grad school in Psychology? A lot of people apply. Who ARE these people and how are you going to stand out among them? Meet one future grad student - Erin Breedlove - who is a college junior and she's already positioned herself very well for grad school. How did she do it? What is she doing that you ought to do? And how, of all things, is she using Twitter to get into grad school? | 7/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 155: On Cuddling, Baths, Google, Body Language and Phantom Cell Phone Vibration - Psych Files Brief #2 | Is cuddling good - especially for men - in marriage? Do baths make you feel less lonely, is Google really making you stupid, how does your body language affect your feelings, and....is that your cell phone vibrating? In this 2nd Psych Files brief I take a look at some of the more interesting psychological research circling around the web this past month. | 7/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Ep 154: 5 Reasons Why Casey Anthony MIGHT Be Innocent | The trial of accused child murdered Casey Anthony is over and Casey was found not guilty. Most people are extremely upset because she appeared to be guilty for many reasons. I give you 5 reasons why Casey Anthony might not be guilty. None of these are based on evidence, but instead on what might be going on inside your mind that made you think she was guilty. Caution: open mindedness required! | 7/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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The REAL Truth About Why You Support (or Oppose) Gay Marriage - Episode 153 | What is the REAL reason why you either support or oppose gay marriage? We may give logical reasons for our opinions, but the roots behind your opinion lies - where else? - in your past. So let's dive into your mind as we always do here in the Psych Files and learn how our attitudes develop over time and how strong attitudes especially come to be held. | 6/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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How Do You Change Your Behavior? Interview with Scott Milford Episode 152 | How does Behavior Modification work? Find out in this episode as I interview Scott Milford, author of the Behavior and Motivation website. If you're about how to apply Psychology to everyday life then this is the guy to show you how he does it. In this episode we talk about how to get kids to practice the piano, but you'll quickly see how this approach could be applied to all kinds of other life challenges. Scott developed his approach over many years of working with young people both at the piano and with at-risk adolescents in school. See how Psychology can be put to work! | 6/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 25 | VideoHeuristics (Video): Rules of Thumb Explained - Episode 151 | We all take shortcuts when we are making decisions. And in those shortcuts often lie our mistakes. In this episode find out the difference between the availability and representativeness heuristics, as well as the "Take the Best", Hindsight, and the Base Rate Neglect (Fallacy) heuristics. Lots of examples of these heuristics at work are included. Let's face it - we all have lazy minds! Either that or we're all too busy to try to weed through complicated statistics and probabilities. Heuristics help us make decisions fast. But are they the right ones? | 6/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 26 | VideoVideo: Object Permanence - Does Your Dog Have It? Episode 150 | Piaget's concept of object permanence is essential to understand. But how did they study this idea among 1 year olds? Obviously children can't tell you that they believe that something no longer exists when they can't see it, so how do we know what is going on inside a child's mind? How about this challenge: do animals also understand object permanence? If you've ever seen your cat or dog look under or around objects for a lost toy then yes - you've seen that they do understand object permanence. How can you study object permanence - or a related idea called "expectancy violation" - in animals? Let's take a look in this 150 episode of The Psych Files. | 6/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Audio: Object Permanence - Does Your Dog Have It? Episode 150 | Piaget's concept of object permanence is essential to understand. But how did they study this idea among 1 year olds? Obviously children can't tell you that they believe that something no longer exists when they can't see it, so how do we know what is going on inside a child's mind? How about this challenge: do animals also understand object permanence? If you've ever seen your cat or dog look under or around objects for a lost toy then yes - you've seen that they do understand object permanence. How can you study object permanence - or a related idea called "expectancy violation" - in animals? Let's take a look in this 150 episode of The Psych Files. | 6/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Date Rape: How Can We Prevent It? Episode 149 | You've probably heard of many times when people knew that someone was hurt or might be hurt and they did not help. How can we prevent that from happening? You may have learned about bystander apathy and the concept of diffusion of responsibility. But now what do we DO with what we know? How can we put that knowledge into action? Meet Vicky Banyard and see what she and her colleagues at the University of New Hampshire are doing with a program called Bring in the Bystander. | 5/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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What Can We Do To End Anti-Gay Bullying in Schools? Episode 148 | What can we do to end bullying against gays? There is a shocking increase in the number of young homosexuals who are commit suicide. Many anti-bullying programs don't work and in this episode I talk to Dr. Elizabeth J. Meyer of Concordia University about what can be done. No one should be bullied and we all need to care about those who are bullied to the point of considering suicide. | 5/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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On Yawning, Swearing, Credit Cards and Sex: Psych Files Brief #1 | In this first Psych Files Brief episode, we look at whether swearing actually reduces your sensation of pain (ever stub your toe?), whether or not vertical stripes actually do make you look thinner (no surprise - the answer is no), whether you're more likely to run up that credit card when you're feeling low, and why is it (and when is it) that yawns become contagious? | 5/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Borderline Personality: What is it? Could Your Cell Phone Help Deal With It? Episode 146 | Borderline Personality Disorder is a difficult disorder to understand and treat. Briefly, people who suffer from BPD tend to have a heightened sensitivity to rejection. When they feel that they are being rejected they can react with strong feelings of anger. Their emotions can be very intense and vary widely during the day. This can also make their relationships very unstable. They can also be very impulsive. However, a recent fascinating piece of research used a mobile device and what's called an "experience sampling" technique to gain further insight into what it is like to have BPD. In this episode I discuss that research and then wonder what else we might be able to learn as our mobile devices become even more powerful. | 5/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Why a Tiger Mom Approach to Parenting Does NOT Work: Episode 145 | Feeling guilty about not being a "Tiger Mom" (or Dad)? Let me give you 3 reasons why you don't have to feel that way. Get yourself ready for the next time that someone says that you (or parents in general) have to be tougher on our kids. You've probably heard about the authoritarian parenting style advocated by Amy Chua in her Tiger Mom book. Lots of Americans think she has good point that the problems with American kids is that they are being raised with too much leeway, and that we're not being tough enough on them. The reason, they say, that our Math scores are too low is that we're not strict enough and we don't have high expectations for our children. Are they right? Or are there other ways that our children are being successful that we don't take into account? If you're feeling discouraged about parenting let me raise your spirits. | 4/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 144: The Drowsy Chaperone Holds the Key to Life! | Americans spend billions of dollars on self-help products each year, but does someone else hold the answers to your questions about what your life is all about? Join me as I discuss a fascinating book called If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him!. We also see how a wonderful recent broadway musical, The Drowsy Chaperone has some very intriguing things to say about life. Could it be that there is some existentialism in that musical? Listen to this episode to find out. | 3/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 143: EMDR - An Interview with Founder Francine Shapiro | Curious about EMDR? Listen to this interview with the founder of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Dr. Francine Shapiro talk about EMDR and how it is different from Cogntive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This is an intriguing and unique type of therapy and if you want to learn more about it you've come to the right place. | 3/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 142: How To Make Jobs More Satisfying and Motivating | Do you have a dull job? Wonder how it can be made more motivating? That's the challenge - how can we make jobs that are typically not much fun (like an assembly line job) more interesting to do? This is one of the challenges facing I/O psychologists and in this episode I discuss the Job Characteristics theory by Hackman and Oldham and apply it to assembly line jobs in China where your iPhone is made and where a record number of suicides have occurred over the past few years. Can we use job redesign to make such jobs more tolerable? | 3/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 141: Psychology Gets Smart: A New Kind of Lie Detector? | Join me as I describe a psychological study that tested a new kind of lie detector. The study involved Agents, Missions, an Interception, and a mysterious package. This is psychology? You better believe it. | 2/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 140: Psychoanalyzing Jack Lalanne | In this episode I put Jack Lalanne on the couch. I take selections from several of his vidoes and see what they reveal about his personality. He was clearly passionate about exercise, but what drove this passion? What was his underlying motivation? I suggest that his relationship with his father was crucial to his passion for exercise and fitness. Join me as I do a little armchair psychoanalysis of Jack Lalanne. | 2/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 139: Blaming the Victim in Reverse - the Justice Motive | I'll bet you've heard of the expression, "Whatever doesn't kill you...", or "Suffering is good for the soul". Could these expression represent another way that we deal with our own anxiety after we hear about someone else's tragedy? | 1/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 138: Zombies - 6 Reasons Why We Are So Fascinated By Them | Have you watched the TV show Walking Dead or ever seen a movie about Zombies (perhaps Zombieland or Dawn of the Dead? What is so fascinating about the undead? Why do many of us get a strange pleasure out of seeing a zombie get killed? In this episode I explore that strange part of ourselves which for some reason seems to enjoy watching the undead get really dead. | 12/23/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 137: Objectivity and the Scientific Impotence Excuse | Can science study love? Are we able to scientifically determine what romance is all about? There seem to be times, particularly when people hold strong beliefs, that we just don't want to hear what scientists have to say. We talk a lot these days about the importance of objectivity, but are people - even scientists - capable of being objective? In this episode I'll talk about the scientific impotence excuse. Another interesting cognitive bias we seem to carry around with us. | 12/12/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 136: Adele Faber Interview on Parenting (Part 2) | In part 2 of my interview with Adele Faber, co-author along with Elaine Mazlish of "How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk" we talk about what do do when you've got nothing left emotionally to give to your children, how to handle foul language, how to problem solve with your children, and being authentic with your children about own feelings. Finally, Adele gives her opinion on whether or not we need to be tougher with our children. | 11/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 135: Adele Faber Interview on Parenting (Part 1) | Are you familiar with Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish's classic book "How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk"? You should be. It's not just for parents. The ideas in this book and in their other books should be required reading for all of us, but especially for parents, therapists and anyone interested in what we can do to better communicate with each other. I think you will be as charmed as I was listening to Adele and I encourage you to listen to part 2 of this interview (to be released in about a week). | 11/19/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 134: Hypnosis - Myth and Reality | What do you think of hypnosis? might you be surprised to hear that it has been accepted by the American Psychological Association? Hypnosis has a fascinating and controversial history but today it deserves some respect. Still, it's not a cure-all. Take a trip with me through the history of this fascinating topic on The Psych Files. | 11/2/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 133: Replace Your Doctor With a Robot? | Are you embarrassed to take your clothes off in front of your doctor? Most of us are. Well, what if your doctor was a robot? Would this make it easier or harder to remove your clothes? Before you answer - would it matter if the robot looked like a real person or if it looked like R2-D2? That's the question we examine this week on The Psych Files. | 10/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 132: Opera Singing on the Brain | What part of your brain is lighting up when you're singing? In this episode I take a look at a neat new study that involved having singers lie down in an MRI while their brains were scanned. Take a look at what they found. While we're at it, I'll talk a little bit about the so-called "Secret" and then show you that there's no secret to singing that high note in the National Anthem. | 10/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 131: Even Children Do Statistics! | Here's a fun piece of psychological research: finding out whether children use statistical information to figure out other people. We know kids are very perceptive and learn quickly. This study shows just how smart they really are. | 9/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 47 | VideoEpisode 130 (video): Why Are We So Fascinated by Famous People? | If you've ever met a famous person you know how exciting that feels. But why? What is it about fame that draws so many people to it? In this episode I examine fame from two very perspectives: the Basking in Reflected Glory theory and Terror Management Theory. Along the way we'll see what this all has to do with the rock band Queen, baseball and Chelsea Clinton's wedding. | 8/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 48 | VideoEpisode 129 (video): Science Shows Superstitions Actually Work! Sort of | Okay, admit it - you have some kind of lucky charm on you, your car or in your house. And if you participate in any sport or performance activity you have some sort of ritual that you believe will help make you more successful. Well guess what - there is research to show that such charms and rituals really do help you perform better. Find out how in this episode of The Psych Files. | 7/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 128: Do Brain Training Games Work? | You've probably heard about these Brain Training games. Do they really help you to keep your mind sharp? Will they prevent cognitive decline or slow the effects of alzheimer's disease? In this episode I review some recent studies on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of these popular games. | 7/13/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 50 | VideoEpisode 127 (video): Phrenology: Maybe They Were On To Something | Everyone can picture one of those phrenology heads with personality traits drawn into different sections of the cranium. Was there anything to that? Well, not exactly. However, with the use of MRI scans researchers today may have found something just about as good - they may have located where certain personality traits lie in your brain. Travel with me into a 3D brain and let's find out where your personality may lie. | 7/3/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 51 | VideoEpisode 126: SuperNormal Stimuli: Is This Why We're Overweight? | There are many reasons why it is difficult to lose weight, but have you considered how supernormal stimuli might be one of them? In this episode I discuss some of the ideas in the books Waistland and Supernormal Stimuli by Dierdre Barrett. Is it possible that the old saying Everything in Moderation might just be wrong? And will Small Changes really help you to get in shape or are radical changes really the way to go? | 6/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 125: False Memories - How Can Your Memory Be So Bad? | For some reason we believe that our memories are accurate. They are far from it. What we remember is a hodge-podge, a patchwork of images, stories, and bits and pieces from our past. In this episode I describe some of the very interesting research showing how our memories can be manipulated in surprising ways. Learn why you loved asparagus as a kid (really you did, really). | 6/6/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 124: Flashbulb Memories - Are They As Accurate As We Think? | Would you be surprised if I told you that your memories of the attacks on September 11, 2001 are inaccurate? How much of what you remember of that day or of other Flashbulb Memories actually happened? Where were you, for example, when the Challenger shuttle blew up? Or when Princess Diana died? Join me as I explore the research that reveals how inaccurate our memories are (no matter how confident we feel). And by the way, was President Bush involved in a conspiracy over the events of September 11? Let's find out. | 5/31/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 54 | VideoEpisode 123 (video): What Does Your Dog Know About You? | What do your dog and Shakespeare have in common? Well, they both use a Theory of Mind. Join me for this video episode in which I look at this fascinating idea of theory of mind and the unique and fun research that has been done around it. And yes, you might pick up an idea of how to test your dog to see if your dog can actually read your mind. | 5/5/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 122: DSM-V and On Being Sane - Are Psychiatric Labels Really Harmful? | What does the movie Shrek have to do with labeling, psychiatric illness and the self-fulfilling prophecy? In this episode I take a close look at the well-known Rosenhan study. This was the study in which pseudopatients pretend to hear voices and on the basis of this they get admitted to psychiatric centers. Then they were told to act normally. It took an average of 19 days for these pseudopatients to be discharged from the hospital and even then they were diagnosed as schizophrenia in remission. Does this study show that psychiatric diagnoses are not only useless but also possibly harmful? Or do we find what we found back in episode 47 on Little Albert, and what we found in episode 36 on Kitty Genovese that what we thought we knew is largely wrong. | 4/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 56 | VideoEpisode 121 (corrected): Top 10 Psychology Apps for the iPad, iPhone, & IPod | In this video episode I show you 10 of what I consider to be the best psychology apps in the app store. There are a lot of apps out there and many are not so good, but in this episode I pick out what I consider to be credible therapy apps, excellent mobile mind mapping tools, relaxation apps, games based on Gestalt principles of psychology, and some of the best 3 dimensional ways to look at the brain. | 4/12/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 57 | VideoEpisode 121: Top 10 Psychology Apps for the iPad, iPhone, & IPod | In this video episode I show you 10 of what I consider to be the best psychology apps in the app store. There are a lot of apps out there and many are not so good, but in this episode I pick out what I consider to be credible therapy apps, excellent mobile mind mapping tools, relaxation apps, games based on Gestalt principles of psychology, and some of the best 3 dimensional ways to look at the brain. | 4/12/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 120: Big Words Make You Look Less Intelligent | Have you ever deliberately replaced small words with bigger ones in order to sound more intelligent? Guess what - it usually doesn't work. In a series of studies Daniel Oppenheimer showed that writers actually came across as less intelligent when they used big words where smaller ones would have worked just as well. The bottom line: take the time to understand what you want to say and then say it in plain, ordinary language. | 3/29/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 119: Are You Lying in that Email? | Have you ever been less than truthful in an email? Or perhaps a little more blunt or emotional than you might have been if you delivered your message in person? Why is it that people can sometimes be so mean in their online comments? In this episode I explore why we communicate differently in the online world than we do in person by discussing an article on the finer points of lying online. | 3/23/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 118: Are You REALLY Listening? Sanford Meisner, Acting and Psychology | A lot of people get into psychology because they think they are good listeners, but are you really a good listener? What does it mean to be a good listener? In this episode I look at a fascinating acting exercise created by Sanford Meisner called the "repetition exercise" which trains actors how to truly listen. Are you as good a listener as these trained actors? | 3/12/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 117: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - An Interview with Bobbi | What is it like to live with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD? Listen to this interview with a young woman who deals with OCD every day and you'll get a much better understanding of what OCD is like. You have probably heard of the term OCD and perhaps you've seen shows like Monk or you've seen characters on TV and in the movies who show symptoms of obsessional thoughts or compulsive behaviors and perhaps you've wondered yourself about some of your own thoughts and behaviors. | 2/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 116: Social Loafing - Don't Be a Sucker or a Free Loader! | Do you like working in a group? Most people don't because they're afraid that they'll have to do most of the work (wind up being a sucker) and that other group members won't do their share of the work (free loaders). Want to find out how to avoid this and make your group work productive? Learn how the Agile software development technique can be adapted to your help your next group project be a success. | 2/12/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 63 | VideoEpisode 115 (Video): Violent Video Games - What Does the Research Say? | ecent research on violent video games is pretty conclusive and you're not going to like it. There's good evidence that people if you play violent video games you might be less likely to a) notice aggressive events, b) perceive fewer or less severe injuries, c) feel less sympathy for violence victims, and d) have less negative attitudes towards violence. In this video I take a close look at this research as well as one study which claims the complete opposite: that violent video games are perceived by players as merely "rough and tumble play" and that violence actually enhances performance. Who should you believe? | 1/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 64 | VideoEpisode 114 (video): Finding Little Albert | Little Albert - one of the most famous subjects in the history of psychology - has finally been identified. Researchers spent 7 years tracking down every possible lead in order to discover who John Watson's "Albert B" really was. In this video episode I take you through each step of the extensive detective work to uncover his identity. It's a fascinating, creative, and in the end touching journey. Some never seen before pictures are included. Join me in this episode of The Psych Files. | 1/5/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 113: Interview with Scott Lilienfeld on the 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology | I interview Dr. Scott Lilienfeld, author of 50 Myths of Popular Psychology and we talk about, a) whether the polygraph actually works, b) whether women really talk more than men, c) does handwriting analysis reveals your personality and d) when you're taking a multiple choice test should you change your first answer or leave it alone? Along the way we also talk about whether the full moon really does make people act strangely (and cause more dog bites). Finally, Dr. Lilienfeld provides his opinion on whether psychotherapists need to be more up-to-date on the scientific research behind the various types of psychotherapy. | 12/27/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 112: Evolutionary Psychology - David Buss Responds to Critics Part 2 | In part 2 of my interview with David Buss, he responds to more criticisms of evolutionary psychology. Here's what we cover: a) does evolutionary psychology just give criminals another reason not to take responsibility for themselves?, b) is all the research in evolutionary psychology done on American college students?, c) are evolutionary psychology theories falsifiable? We cover such topics as whether women's mate strategies change depending on where they are in their menstrual cycle? and How does evolutionary psychology might explain homosexuality? and what does evolutionary psychology say about cultural differences in the desire for women with a low waist-hip ratio? All in this episode of The Psych Files. | 12/16/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 111: Evolutionary Psychology - David Buss Responds to Critics | There has been a lot of criticism of evolutionary psychology - how to critics respond? One of the leading researchers in this field - Dr. David Buss of the University of Texas responds to these critics in part 1 of this 2 part episode. Find out how he responds to these questions: a) is evolutionary psychology sexist?, b) doesn't evolutionary psychology just give people the ammunition they need to not take responsibility for themselves? c) theories from evolutionary psychology are not falsifiable, this it's not scientific and d) human society is always changing - it hasn't been stable enough long enough for any human behavior to have evolved. | 12/6/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 110: Narcissism Among Celebrities, on Facebook and in Shakespeare | Are celebrities really more narcissistic than you are? Is your Facebook page telling the world that you are a narcissist? And finally: who is Shakespeare's most narcissistic character? I'll give you a hint: the character can be found in Twelfth Night. In this episode of The Psych Files I look at the concept of narcissism and how you can see it in everyday life. | 11/22/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 69 | VideoEpisode 109: Correlation and Causation | Looking for examples of correlation and causation? You've heard it a million times: correlation doesn't mean causation. Here's a humorous look at this topic that I think really drives home the point. We'll explore whether satisfied workers are more productive and whether living together causes divorce. | 11/10/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 108: More Harm Than Good? Kubler-Ross' Five Stages of Grief | Almost everyone has heard of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, her book On Death and Dying, and her five stages of grief. But are these stages accurate? Could the five stages of grief actually be doing more harm than good? Are they helping us to better understand what dying people go through or are they making it more difficult for us to truly understand and relate to them? Find out in this episode of The Psych Files. | 10/26/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 107: Freud, Projective Tests and .... Poetry | How do the Rorschach, the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and the House, Tree Person tests work? Do you reveal something about yourself when you tell stories about pictures or tell what you see in an inkblot or even when you do something as seemingly innocent as drawing a picture of a house? In this episode I try to answer these questions as well as show you how a wonderful poem called How It Will End by Denise Duhamel could be an excellent example of psychology in everyday life. | 10/18/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 106: Your Sexual Orientation - How Did It Develop? | How did you get to be heterosexual? Homosexual? Bisexual? Was it nature or nurture (or both?). Were you born with a sexual orientation or did it develop as you grew? What role did your parents play? In this episode I present the most recent scientific research on the topic of how we develop our sexual preference. You'll find out whether heterosexual men have more testosterone than homosexual men, how most people know their sexual orientation when they are as young as 10 years old, how your third intersitial nucleus might be playing a role and finally, finally, could it something to do with the length of your fingers? | 10/11/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 73 | VideoEpisode 105 (video): Smart Birds are More Successful with the Ladies | A popular piece of animal research indicates that intelligent male Browerbirds appear to have greater mating success (researcher lingo for sex). The more sensitive birds may also be more preferred by the opposite sex as well. So much for the jocks. Find out about this fascinating research on animals in this video episode of The Psych Files. | 9/25/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 104: Can Positive Affirmations Improve Your Self Esteem? | Can positive affirmations really help raise your self esteem? People use daily affirmations and money affirmations to help them feel more confident, build their self-esteem and bring positive events into their lives. But do they really work? If not, then what will? | 9/10/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 103: Raising Children - Interview with Author Jamie Raser | Having trouble raising your children? Join the crowd. There are lots and lots of parenting books out there, but here's one I think you should know about. It's called Raising Children You Can Live With by Jamie Raser. He has an approach to parenting that is not about picking your battles, but about staying out of battles altogether and talking with your child in a way that doesn't lead to shouting, screaming and anger. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Listen to Jamie Raser talk about his ideas in this episode of The Psych Files. | 8/30/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 76 | VideoEpisode 102 (video): How to Create an Online Experiment | Want to create an online experiment? Here's how to do it. I'll show you can create an experiment using two tools: Wix.com and Google Forms. Using these two tools, you'll be able to get creative and put together an experiment online that others can take. You'll even be able to collect the data. In this episode of The Psych Files I'll use as an example a very do-able recent study which shows that people tend to overestimage the height of a building when they are on the roof looking down to the ground than when they are on the ground looking up to the roof. The explanation for this is that evolutionarily, those who overestimated distances looking down were probably more likely to survive - because they probably backed away from the edge and prevented themselves from falling and killing themselves. Both students and faculty might be interested to see how this study could be set up online. | 8/24/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 101: The Psychology of Music: The Role of Expectations and Minor Chords | How does music affect us emotionally? Why do minor chords sound so sad? In this episode of The Psych Files I explore ideas from Daniel Leviton's fascinating book, Your Brain on Music, especially those ideas concerned with what composers do to draw you into their music by first conforming to your musical expectations and then carefully confounding them in order to surprise and delight. I talk with guitarist and composer David Temple to get his perspective on this process as well. Along the way you'll hear excerpts from some fascinating pieces of music and David and I will discuss what makes them so compelling, especially those in the minor key. My My piano playing skills are pretty rough but get ready for some fun. | 8/1/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 100: Reflections on 100 Episodes of The Psych Files | Well, it's here - episode 100. I take this time to reflect on which episodes have made the most impact on the podcast and the episodes and listeners that have taught me the most. Also, I provide a little background on how the podcast is produced, along with what programs and equipment are used. Thank you to everyone who has emailed me over the years to provide feedback and thanks to everyone else for being listeners and contributing to the success of The Psych Files! | 7/19/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 99: Animal Emotions - Does Your Pet Really Have Feelings? | Does your dog have thoughts and feelings? How about your cat? In this episode we find out what scientists have to say about how we should study this question. I also review a fascinating new study by Dr. Alexandra Horowitz of Barnard College who studied whether or not dogs who have that guilty look actually do feel guilty. We take a look at the idea of anthropomorphism and your dog in this episode of The Psych Files. | 7/14/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 98: Evolutionary Psychology - An Interview with Dr. David Buss | Do you know your own mate value in the dating world? Curious about evolutionary psychology? In this interview with Dr. David Buss we discuss a number of interesting and controversial topics, such as the matching hypothesis and date rape. Are there evolutionary roots to the battle of the sexes and can we change our behavior? Find out in this interview. | 6/20/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 97: Stanley Milgram Obedience Study Finally Replicated | The obedience studies originally conducted by Stanley Milgram (sometimes referred to as the Milgram Shock studies) have finally been replicated in a university setting. Will people obey an authority figure and give a stranger a dangerous shock? Or have things changed in the last 40 years such that people will be more willing to be disobedient to authority? Even if you are familiar with the Milgram Obedience studies I guarantee you will learn something new in this podcast. I certainly did. Don't miss this episode of The Psych Files as I review both the original Milgram obedience study and the new study conducted by professor Jerry Burger at Santa Clara University. | 6/7/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 82 | VideoEpisode 96 (video): Mnemonics Advanced: The Pegword System Part 2 | In the last episode you saw me memorize - almost perfectly - a list of 20 top sci-fi movies. How did I do it? In this video learn exactly how the advanced pegword system works. I'll show you how each number becomes a letter, each letter becomes a word and each word becomes an image that will help you memorize just about any size list. Skeptical? You won't be after seeing exactly how it's done. | 5/27/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 83 | VideoEpisode 95 (video): Mnemonics Advanced: The Pegword System Part 1 | Did you know there's a mnemonic device that is more powerful than the One is a bun pegword mnemonic? Here's a system you can use for lists that have more than 12 items. In this video I show you the advanced pegword mnemonic system in which every number becomes a letter and a concrete word that you can visualize to help you remember a list of any length. See how to put mental imagery and your memory to work in this video. | 5/25/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 94: How Do You Learn to Act Like a Woman or like a Man? | How do we learn to act in what are called gender appropriate ways? How did you learn to act like a girl and then a woman? Or like a boy and then like a man? Did you experience either p***s envy or womb envy? Did this happen as a result of what Freud would call an oedipal complex or perhaps does our tendency to behave in stereotypical masculine and feminine ways come about more simply as a result of watching other males and females in your family, among your friends and on TV? In this episode of The Psych Files we look at the interesting and complex issue of gender identity. | 5/18/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 93: Your Brain on a Website | How can you use psychology to design a website so people are likely to buy products from you? Or design a website so people are likely to donate money to your cause? In this episode Dr Susan Weinschenk discusses some of these ideas from her book Neuro Web Design. Ever thought you could apply brain science to web design? Find out how in this episode of The Psych Files. | 5/12/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 92: Passion For Your Work is Overrated | Everyone tells you that you should have "passion for your work". Personally, I think that's a bunch of malarky, balderdash and hooey. And much of it could be the fault of psychologists. You might actually enjoy work that you never dreamed could make you happy. In this episode I talk about what Mike Rowe of the show Dirty Jobs had to say about work and how that ties into the work of Dan Gilbert (author of Stumbling On Happiness). | 4/23/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 91: The Psychology of Effective Meetings | Do you hate meetings as much as I do? How do you make them work? Business people and students often hate meetings and group projects because it's hard to get everyone to participate and it's hard to just get things done. In this episode of The Psych Files I show the many connections between a typical Introductory Psychology textbook and the everyday event of a business or group meeting. In the end I talk with professional project manager April Montana who shares with you some of her secrets to making group members get things done. | 4/13/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 90: The Learning Styles Myth: An Interview with Daniel Willingham | Guess what? There's no such thing as learning style! Don't believe it? Listen to this interview with professor and author Daniel Willingham as he and I discuss the topic of learning styles. If there is no scientific support for learning styles then whey do we believe they must exist? We also discuss the multiple intelligence. While there is support for this idea, many people are confused as to what Howard Gardner really says about his own theory. Let's see if we can set the record straight about learning styles, abilities, and intelligences in this episode of The Psych Files. | 3/29/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 89: Don't Touch That Dial! Why You Should Love Commercials | Watching commercials actually increases your enjoyment of the show. Do you believe it? Did you, like myself, pay good money on a Tivo or video digital recorder just so you could avoid commercials? Well, before you skip passed those commercials check out this episode of The Psych Files. | 3/15/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 88: Sexual Harassment: Who is Most Likely to be a Victim? | Who is most likely to be a victim of sexual harassment? Is it the attractive female secretary? The attractive female employee by a man who is higher up in the organizational hierarchy? These are the stereotypes that many people hold but there may be qualities that some women have that make some men uncomfortable and this may result in sexual harassment. Learn more about this complex issue in this episode of The Psych Files. | 3/6/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 87: Manhood: Are You A "Real Man"? | Why does it seem that males in many cultures have to prove their manhood? Do women have to prove their womanhood? Why is this and what happens when men feel like they are less than a man? In this review of a recent research article entitled, Precarious Manhood, we take a look at this intriguing issue. | 2/27/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 92 | VideoEpisode 86 (video): Educational Games | Can games really be educational? They certainly addictive and engaging. Can we harness this aspect of games and use it to learn? In this video I show you why I believe the answer is yes. Let's talk about what really good teaching is and what really good games are like. Then I take you on a brief tour of what I believe are some of the best examples of great educational games. This time on The Psych Files. | 2/20/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 93 | VideoEpisode 31 (video): Lemon Slices and a New Face on Mars! Gestalt Principles at Work | Let's take a close look at why people see a lot of strange things around them - including me. We'll see images on lemon slices, building tops, etc. Why do we perceive these things? And how does something as abstract as the "Gestalt principles of perception" explain how we not only see strange things, but also how we can appreciate works of art. This week on The Psych Files. | 2/9/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 85: How to Make Learning Fun Again? Constructivism and Democratic Schools - Part 2 | What the heck is constructivism anyway? In this episode I explore that topic with Dr. Eugene Geist. We also explore what some would consider a radical concept in education: democratic schools. What would happen if we let children decide how they wanted to learn? Complete Chaos? Or an exciting new way to get students involved in and taking responsibility for learning? Find out in this episode of The Psych Files. | 1/30/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 84: How To Make Learning Fun Again Part 1 - Piaget | How can we make learning as fun as it was when you were a child? We can. Listen to Dr. Eugene Geist as he explains the cognitive development theories of Jean Piaget and you'll understand why we are all geared to learn. We actively seek out learning experiences. How can we keep that excitement alive? Find out in this episode and in the episodes to follow as we examine ideas such as constructivism, problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning and democratic schools. This episode will also be helpful if you need to learn the different stages of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. | 1/19/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 96 | VideoEpisode 83 (video): New Year's Resolutions to Lose Weight: Why So Hard To Keep? | Why is it so hard to keep our new year's resolutions to lose weight? I explore this question in this episode in which I also take a tour through the various schools of psychology and show how each one would explain why you have trouble keeping your promise to yourself to lose weight (or stay out of debt, or stop smoking). | 1/13/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 82: What's the Best Personality to be a Waiter? | What kind of personality do you need to be a good waiter/waitress? In a previous episode we talked about the tactics: touching customers, drawing smiley faces on bills, crouching down to the customer's level, etc. But these strategies don't always work, so what kind of person do you need to be? We find out in this episode as we explore the personality trait called the Self-Monitoring personality. | 12/28/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 81: Talking (and not Talking) in Psychotherapy - Part 2 | Are you interested in play therapy or therapy with children and adolescents? Do you have a child in therapy and you wonder how playing with toys is going to possibly help you child? Learn more about therapy with children and adolescents in this episode of The Psych Files. In part 2 I interview Dr. Martha Strauss - experienced therapist and author of No Talk Therapy and the book Adolescent Girls in Crisis. In this part of the interview Dr. Strauss talks specifically about No Talk therapy and how she explains her work to the parents of her clients. Come have a listen to an experienced therapist talk about her work. | 12/9/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 80: Talking (and not Talking) in Psychotherapy - Part 1 | Are you interested in play therapy or therapy with children and adolescents? Do you have a child in therapy and you wonder how playing with toys is going to possibly help you child? Learn more about therapy with children and adolescents in this episode of The Psych Files. In part 1 I interview Dr. Martha Strauss - experienced therapist and author of No Talk Therapy and the book Adolescent Girls in Crisis. If you've ever wondered what psychotherapists do and say in therapy then this episode is for you. We also touch upon evidence based treatment, goals in therapy, and parent expectations of therapists. Come have a listen to an experienced therapist talk about her work. | 12/8/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 79: Models of Leadership - Joan of Arc, Alexander the Great and Ginger the Chicken? | Who's the best role model for a leader? How about a chicken? In this episode of The Psych Files we examine Ginger from the movie Chicken Run to see how she embodies some of the best qualities of a leader. I'll apply several leadership theories to Ginger and her vision. | 11/24/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 78: The Psychology of Tipping | How can a waiter increase his tips? Would you believe that psychologists have devoted a great deal of research to this question? We've looked at the effect of smiley faces, touching, telling jokes, giving customers a fun task to do, drawing suns (yes, suns) on checks and many others. Join me as we take a look at what waiters and waitresses can do to increase the amount of the tip their customers give them. | 11/10/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 77: Lost at School - An Interview with Ross Green Part 2 | Still looking for an alternative to Time out? If you are a teacher, a childcare worker, or anyone who works with kids and is frustrated at the fact that for some children time out just doesn't work. In fact, for some kids time out may actually be a reward because of the popularity it may provide for them from other kids. If you're worried that time out is not helping, and that the child is headed down a road of developing a personal identity that includes rebel or troublemaker and the end of that road can only be jail, then you need to listen to Dr. Ross Green talk about Collaborative Problem Solving. We need to treat children different today and this approach holds a lot of insights into that new approach. | 11/2/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 76: Lost at School - An Interview with Ross Green Part 1 | Dr. Ross Green, author of The Explosive Child, has just published his second book, Lost at School in which he shows how the principles of Collaborative Problem Solving can be used by teachers and other caregivers in school settings. If timeout hasn't worked for you as a parent or teacher, and especially if you're a teacher dealing with "problem kids", then perhaps you should look into Collaborative Problem Solving. Join me for another fascinating interview with Dr. Ross Green. | 10/29/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 75: Science Proves Subliminal Tapes Work! Well....not really | Do subliminal messages in self-help tapes really work? There actually is some evidence that people can be influenced by subliminal messages. Can your self-esteem be raised with subliminal tapes? Can subliminal persuasion help you lose weight? Are there even subliminal messages in Disney files?? Are there subliminal messages in advertising that can make you buy certain products? These questions answered once and for all at The Psych Files podcast. | 10/21/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 74: Social Influence in a Virtual World - A Virtual Door in the Face | The Foot in the Door and the Door in the Face are two classic social influence techniques that have been heavily studied by psychologists. However, until now, no one has attempted them in a virtual world. Join me for this fascinating conversation with Paul Eastwick, who along with Dr. Wendy Gardner from Northwestern University ventured into There.com to see if these very effective real-world techniques were equally effective on avatars. | 10/7/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 73: On the Folly of….Politics | On The Folly of Rewarding A While Hoping For B is a well known article by Steven Kerr that appeared in The Academy of Management Executive. Want an example of how insightful Steven Kerr was with this article that is still relevant today? Look no further than the US election and Comedy Central. | 10/1/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 107 | VideoEpisode 72 (video): Memorize the Parts of the Brain | Memorize the parts of the brain once and for all! Here's a mnemonic device to help you remember the parts of the brain. You will never forget what the parts of the brain do after you see this video. Improve your grade on your next biopsych test and learn more about mnemonics at the same time. | 9/22/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 71: Horse Sense or Nonsense? Clever Hans is Alive and Well | Can horses be used for corporate training or is this nonsense? If you listened to the NPR piece called, "Horse Sense: New Breed Of Executive Training" you might have had the same reaction I did: sounds a little "fishy". Find out why "Clever Hans" just might be alive and well in the field of management training. | 9/18/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 70: Coincidence or Synchronicity? You Be The Judge | Have you heard that president Abraham Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy and president John F. Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln? In this episode of The Psych Files we explore strange coincidences like this one and we also examine Carl Jung's concept of Synchronicity. Does it mean that everything happens for a reason - or is the idea more complex than that? Let's find out. Oh and by the way - turns out Lincoln never had a secretary named Kennedy. This and more revealed on The Psych Files podcast. | 9/9/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 69: Personal Space Invasions - Ethical Implications of one of Psychology's Strangest Studies | Remember the psychological study conducted in a men's room? Think it was silly? Unethical? Let's revisit this study and take a close look at what the critics say and what the authors themselves have to say in response. A fascinating look at the ethics and history of research in psychology. | 9/1/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 111 | VideoEpisode 68 (correction): Mnemonic Device for Erikson's Eight Stages of Development | Memorize Erik Erikson's Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development once and for all! In this video episode I have a little fun using the peg word mnemonic device and ordinary household items to show how mnemonics work and to apply them to the challenge of memorizing Erikson's eight stages. | 8/24/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 112 | VideoEpisode 68 (video): Mnemonic Device for Erikson's Eight Stages of Development | Memorize Erik Erikson's Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development once and for all! In this video episode I have a little fun using the peg word mnemonic device and ordinary household items to show how mnemonics work and to apply them to the challenge of memorizing Erikson's eight stages. | 8/22/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 67: The Olympic Silver Metal? What a Bummer! | Psychologists say that winning the silver medal - coming in second - is actually less satisfying than coming in third - the bronze. Why is that? Sounds weird, but it also sounds right, doesn't it? Have you ever come in second in a contest or received an A- instead of an A? Find out why winning the silver is...a bummer. | 8/13/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 66: What to do about Mom? Personal Control and Aging | Do nursing homes and assisted living facilities have to be so depressing? Is there a way to help senior citizens have more energy and more enthusiasm for life? What do psychologists know that you should know about how to help the elderly feel good about life? It has to do with the concept of personal control (also referred to as locus of control). Learn about it in this review of a classic study in psychology. This week on The Psych Files podcast. | 8/11/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 65: God and Self Help, Synchronicity, and Listener Feedback | Some of the most popular self help books such as the Power of Positive Thinking and A Course in Miracles rely on references to god and religion. In this episode I add a few thoughts to the previous episode on how scientists view self help books which rely on references to god. I also share emails listeners send to me and I let you know how I will be adjusting The Psych Files podcast in response to your feedback. | 7/30/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 64: A Scientist Goes Looking for a Self Help Book.... | Self Help books: there are so many such books out there. How do you choose? Can they cure depression? Help you lose weight? Stop smoking? Can they replace psychotherapy? Find out how critical thinking can help you weed out the best self-help book. Here's a list of the top 14 things that really bother psychologists or any scientists about self-help books. Agree? Disagree? Want to add something to the list? | 7/21/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 63: Cognitive Dissonance, the Monty Hall Problem and a Possible Solution? | Cognitive Dissonance - one of the most established and respected theories in psychology - is under attack. An economist - M. Keith Chen - uses what is called the "Monty Hall problem" to show that the research on cognitive dissonance may be seriously flawed. In this episode I explain Chen's concerns about the research on and then I propose that a new study which uses neurofeedback to study cognitive dissonance may come to rescue at just the right moment. Join me to find out how. | 7/13/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 62: Sustainability and Human Behavior | Sustainability - what does it mean? Are you concerned about how human beings are using up our natural resources and are you perhaps worried about the future of our planet? Listen to Dr. Deborah Rowe talk about this concept of sustainability - "Meeting the needs of the present while allowing future generations to meet theirs". Find out what this movement has to do with psychology and get information in case you're interested in being active (or perhaps finding a job) in this cause. This week on The Psych Files podcast. | 7/8/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 61: The Mozart Effect - Is There Anything To It? Part 2 | This is part 2 of my interview with Dr. Kenneth Steele of Appalachian State University on his research on the so-called Mozart Effect. Listen to Dr. Steele talk about how rats were brought into the lab to listen to Mozart music. Did it make them smarter? Find out in this episode of The Psych Files podcast. | 6/24/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 60: The Full Monty Backstage - Body Image and Gender Differences | The Full Monty: maybe you've seen the movie or the musical, but what is it like backstage? What are the actors thinking? What would you be thinking if you had to take your clothes off in front of an audience? Would it make a difference if you were a man or a woman? How so? This week I take a look at the Full Monty and issues like body image and gender. I interview the cast and I think you'll find their views very interesting. Join me as I go backstage and explore the psychological and societal issues brought up by The Full Monty musical. | 6/17/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 59 - The Mozart Effect: Is There Anything To It? | The Mozart Effect - almost everyone has heard about it, but is there really anything to it? Can the Mozart Effect increase your child's IQ? Will listening to Mozart make you more creative? Does it have an effect on babies in utero? A lot has been claimed, but there is a lot of controversial research out there on the Mozart effect. In part one of my interview with one of the leading researchers and critics of the Mozart Effect - Dr. Kenneth Steele - you get the real story behind the hipe. | 6/10/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 58: Speed Dating - You Don't Know What You Want | Do you really know what you want in a romantic partner? The answer is....no. How often have you heard that men want women with great bodies and women want a good provider? Do you agree with it? It may not be true at all. Surprised? Learn more about what women (and men) really want in this fascinating study conducted in of all places a speed dating event. Psychology studies finally get interesting for subjects! | 5/25/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 57: Expectancy Theory, Goal Setting and Getting in Shape! | Trying to get in shape and lose weight? What's the psychology behind getting in shape? Well, first forget the psychobabble. In this episode of The Psych Files podcast I examine two established theories of human motivation - goal setting and expectancy theory. If you've tried the Atkins diet, the south beach diet some other low carb diet plan or even (yikes!) a lemonade diet, then it's time to try something different - get into your head just a little bit and see what's going on in there. Join me for a different perspective on weight loss, exercise and fitness. | 5/16/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 56: What is Music Therapy? | Interested in Music Therapy? Music therapy, which is often used with children with autism, can also be used in the classroom to help children learn patterns. In this interview music therapist Kamile Geist talks about types and techniques of music therapy along with her research in this fascinating field. On the website Kamile talks about courses and programs that will prepare you to be a music therapist, as well as how insurance programs deal with this type of therapy. | 5/10/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 55: Is It Really Better to Give Than to Receive? | We've looked at the story of the Good Samaritan so now it's time to scientifically answer the question: is it better to give than to receive? Psychologists have recently examined the relationship between happiness and charitable giving. Will you be happier if you donate money rather than spend it on yourself? | 4/24/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 54: Math Anxiety - Causes and Cures | Could it be that the roots of this anxiety lie not with the topic itself but with the way math is taught? In this episode I am extremely fortunate to speak with Dr. Eugene Geist, Associate Professor at Ohio University - Athens, Ohio and specialist in early childhood education. We talk about math anxiety - how it develops and what can be done to help kids overcome it. So if you have math anxiety, are a parent of a child with math anxiety or are a teacher of math you'll want to hear what Dr. Geist has to say about this topic. Don't let your kids say "I hate math!" Children are, as Dr. Geist will point out, natural born mathematicians and you can help them with their math homework and in the process help them overcome math anxiety. | 4/13/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 53: Mindful Learning, NCLB, and the True Foundations of Success | Tired of rote memorization? Tired of NCLB? Try mindful learning. In this episode I explore psychologist Ellen Langer's concept of mindful learning. What does it mean to teach and learn in a mindful way? How does this concept differ from what is being encouraged in the new report on the teaching of math in this country called Foundations of Success? Find out the answers to all these questions in this episode of The Psych Files podcast. | 4/1/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 128 | VideoEpisode 52 (video): Research Design Part 2 - Factorial Designs | Hang in there! We're going to delve into a two by two factorial research design. Sounds dull you say? Well, I'll try my best to make it kinda fun. You'll see how more complex research is carried out. In this case I'll examine the downside to being an attractive person. And you thought attractive people get all the good stuff in life. Watch to find out how it can be to your disadvantage to be attractive and along the way learn a bit about research design. | 3/28/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 51: Elliot Spitzer's Wife: Hero or Victim? | This past week it seems like people have been talking as much about Elliot Spitzer as they have about his wife Silda. In fact, emotions may be running higher about her behavior than about his. Why did she stand by and support him when it appears that he clearly betrayed her trust? Aside from gossip, what's the tie-in to theories in psychology? Would you believe that the "Covariation Principle" can be applied to this and many similar situations where we are trying to figure out why people do what they do? Have a listen and learn how we use consensus, consistency and distinctiveness information to make important decisions. | 3/18/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 50: Psychological Study Ripped Straight from....the Bible? | How many scientific studies find their inspiration from a parable in the bible? Well, this one does and for my 50th episode I'll go over a very interesting study based on the Good Samaritan parable. We'll take another look at the topic of bystander intervention by asking the question: are people more likely to help someone if they are thinking "pious" thoughts at the time? After reviewing the study I'll take a look at a couple articles that cite the good samaritan parable and ask the question: what does the results of this study imply about the value of character education, virtues programs, codes of ethics, citizenship and ethical behavior in general? | 3/13/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 49: Classroom Management - An Interview with Dr. Ross Green part 2 | In this episode I continue the interview on Collaborative Problem Solving in the classroom with Dr. Ross Green, author of The Explosive Child. As I stated in the previous episode, there are a variety of classroom management techniques, all designed to help solve the issue of how to discipline children who are having behavioral problems. I think you'll find that Dr. Green's approach makes a lot of sense and it can be implemented in the classroom as well as at home. A fascinating interview. | 3/6/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 48: Classroom Management - An Interview with Dr. Ross Green part1 | Classroom management techniques - there are a lot of strategies for dealing with behavior problems in the classroom. It's time to add Collaborative Problem Solving to your toolkit. Learn an alternative to traditional classroom discipline techniques like timeout or sending the child to the principal. A recent Time magazine article entitled "How to Make Great Teachers" mentions that in a 2001 survey of teachers, 44 percent listed student behavior problems as the reason they left the profession. What can be done? In this episode I interview Dr. Ross Green, author of The Explosive Child and the upcoming book Lost in School. He'll tell you how to use collaborative problem solving with your students. This episode is also for parents, daycare workers, babysitters - anyone who wants to help young people learn to think their way through everyday behavior problems. | 3/1/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 47: The Little Albert Study: What You Know is...Mostly Wrong | Think you know a lot about the little Albert experiment conducted by John Watson? Well, guess what - you'd be surprised at how much of the story is simply not true. If you're wondering whatever happened to little Albert, whether the little Albert study created a lasting phobia in a small boy, or even what place this story has in the history of behaviorism, then I suggest you take a listen to this episode of The Psych Files and get the facts on this fascinating part of psychology's history. | 2/20/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 46: Thinking Positively - or Running Away from Your Feelings? | What’s wrong with thinking positively? Could be a lot. Let’s take another look at the "positive psychology" movement in this episode of The Psych Files podcast. I’ll share some additional ideas for bringing about more positive events in your life, talk about social comparison theory, and then discuss how important "negative" - that is sad - feelings are in our lives. Those are moments not to run from, but to embrace. | 2/9/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 135 | VideoEpisode 45 (video): Basic Research Design - Part 1 | Independent variables, dependent variables, t-tests, anovas, experiments, between subjects, within subjects, confounds…confused? You won’t be after you watch this week’s video episode. Learn research the fun way - choose an interesting topic. In this video I explain the basic concepts of research while examining the effect of gray hair on credibility. More fun that…let me think…well, trust me, it’ll be interesting. | 2/6/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 44: Human Emotions: The Two Factor Theory | Where do our emotions come from? From our thoughts? Or do they begin somewhere else - like in our bodies? This week we look at the work of James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and Schachter and Singer. Also, I review two classic studies in the history of psychology: the Suproxin study and the Suspension Bridge study. This week the Good, the Bad and the Ugly....Betty of emotions. Oh yes, and what does the TV show Ugly Betty have to do with all this? Find out this week on The Psych Files. | 1/29/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 43: Email Feedback | The Psych Files podcast started one year ago this week, so I thought I’d share some emails I’ve received over the past year. I just want to thank all of you for being listeners and for sharing your encouragement and your suggestions for the podcast. I plan to go full speed ahead for 2008 and in this episode I share a some of the ideas I have for episode topics for the upcoming year. | 1/22/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 42: Taking A Psychology Class? | Are you taking Introduction to Psychology? General Psychology? Or are you looking for online lectures in psychology? You've come to the right place. The Psych Files podcast is 1 year old this month and I wanted to tell all the new listeners a little bit about the podcast. Also, I've got two "secrets" for success in your psychology class, as well as two "Psychology In Everyday Life" tidbits about blaming the victim and our need for personal control. Welcome to The Psych Files. | 1/18/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 41: EMDR - A Critical Perspective | Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - what is it about this type of psychotherapy that draws such criticism? In this episode I interview Dr. Scott Lilienfeld of Emory University. Dr. Lilienfeld has been a critic of EMDR and in this episode he explains his reasons why. He also talks a little bit about how exposure therapy works. A fascinating interview with a leading critic and author of a new textbook in Psychology. | 1/8/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 40: Performance Anxiety (and sopranos on their heads) | Do you get nervous when you perform? Want to learn how to overcome performance anxiety? Listen to a few experienced actors talk about performing and then I'll share some thoughts about what psychologists have to say about those judges in your head who keep you from doing your best. I'll also share my experiences as a performer as well. Then we end with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt. What does she have to do with performance anxiety? You'll have to listen to find out. | 12/31/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 141 | VideoEpisode 39 (video): Mashups and the Future of Psychological Research | Have you heard about Mashups? What do they have to do with psychology? In this video episode I'll show you how you use RSS feeds, Google Reader, and Yahoo Pipes to create a mashup that searches the web for the very latest information on psychological terms of interest to you. I'm not clairvoyant (is that the right term for people who can see the future?), but I think this IS the future of of research in psychology. Come take a look. | 12/23/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 38: How Big is Your Office: Another Classic Study in Psychology | Equity and the lack of fairness strike again! What would happen if you were suddenly moved to an office (or dorm room) that was smaller than the one you’re in now? Would you be less productive? Less satisfied? I bet you would. | 12/18/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 37: The Effects of Video Game and Media Violence | What do psychologists think about the effects of violent video games and violence in the media on viewers? Does it lead people to be more aggressive? More violent? Or is it the other way around - that aggressive people are drawn to violent media? We explore this question in this episode along with taking a close look at the classic “Bobo” doll study that was conducted by Albert Bandura. And we throw in a little James Bond along the way. | 12/7/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 36: The Myth of the Kitty Genovese Story | Have you heard the story about how young Kitty Genovese was repeatedly attacked one night in New York City over a period of a half and hour while 38 people watched from their windows and did nothing? This story led to a long line of research in the area of bystander intervention and diffusion of responsibility. Would it surprise you to learn that most of what you've heard about this case is NOT true? | 11/25/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 145 | VideoEpisode 35 (video): The Psychology of Extreme Sports | Time for a little fun. I know you’ve asked yourself this question: why do people engage in those dangerous sports like hangliding, bungee jumping and rock climbing? Would you believe it might have something to do with neurotransmitters? | 11/14/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 34: Timeout Revisited - Dealing with Challenging Kids Part 2 | Here’s the second part of my episode on alternatives to timeout. In this part of the interview, Dr. Ablon discusses Plan B in more detail. How do you work with your child to come up with solutions that satisfy both your and his or her needs? | 11/4/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 33: Timeout Revisited - Dealing with Challenging Kids Part 1 | In part of 1 of this interview Dr. J. Stuart Ablon we talk those children for whom timeout sometimes does not work. What’s your alternative then? Listen in and learn about the Collaborative Problem Solving approach. | 10/28/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 32: Midterms, Mnemonics and Two Keys to Learning | To learn or not to learn that is the question this week on The Psych Files. Come with me as I explore mnemonic techniques, learn to memorize Hamlet's famous speech, and learn 2 keys to true, lasting learning. | 10/14/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 30: Equine Assisted Therapy | If you think that therapy with horses is just another form of “pet therapy” well…so did I…at first. But Equine Assisted therapy is something different. Learn more about this unique form of therapy from Nancy King, director of A Horse Connection. | 9/23/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 29: Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic vs. the Motivation To Learn | You’ve probably heard about the battle between intrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Well, here’s a new competitor to think about: the concept of the Motivation to Learn. What does this idea have to add to the debate about the best way to get kids to read? What does it have to do with the Bourne Supremacy? Find out this week on The Psych Files. | 9/16/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 28: Is Time Out Really Effective? | Everybody advocates the use of time out over forms of punishments like spankings, but how exactly do you administer time out in a way that is effective? Could we be doing it all wrong? Is time out even something we should be doing at all? Join me as I explore this topic. | 9/5/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 27: From Insane Asylum to Psychiatric Center: A Brief History | Join me for an interview with Dr. Roger Christenfeld, Research Director of the Hudson River Psychiatric Center. Dr. Christenfeld and I talk about how psychiatric patients were treated in the heyday of this incredible center. I think you'd be surprised at some of the things he has to say. | 8/28/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 26: Why Do Statistics Make Us So Queasy? | Why are we often anxious about or even suspicious of statistics? Let’s take a look at this topic. Along with some interesting examples I’ve got some statistics-oriented jokes I hope you’ll find funny (okay, maybe you’ll just find them…interesting. Humor me). Conquer your fears this week on The Psych Files. | 8/22/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 25: The Brains Behind Erikson Part 3 | We finish off this series looking at your brain as you develop by examining what is happening in your brain as you age from adolescence to older adulthood. Also: an impersonated celebrity endorsement from Star Trek’s George Takai. | 8/11/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 24: The Brains Behind Erikson Part 2 | What is happening in your brain as you progress through life? In this episode we take a look at some of the changes that occur in your brain from birth to age 12. Be sure to listen to part 3 of this series, which is episode 25. | 8/10/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 23: Do Teachers Have to be Actors Today? | We often heard it said that teachers have to be actors today in order to keep the attention of today’s low attention span students. Well, in this episode I agree that teachers and actors do think alike in many ways - but not in the ways most people think. Join me as I explore how teachers and actors think alike in terms of objectives, obstacles, “raising the stakes”, and getting feedback from other actors/students. | 8/1/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 157 | VideoEpisode 22 (video): The Brains Behind Erikson Part 1 - Timeliner | I decided that it was time to look at the biology behind the changes that occur in our lives as we grow. As I put my ideas together to do this, I employed a very neat program called Timeliner. It is so cool in fact that I decided to do an episode solely on how to use Timeliner, especially the tool called “merge”. If you are an educator I think you’ll find this episode interesting. | 7/20/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 21: Erikson's Eight Stages of Life | This week on The Psych Files we take a stroll through the various phases of life: from childhood, to adolescence, into mid-life and then we listen to two interesting voices of men nearing the end of their lives and they do so with very different perspectives John Wayne and Roy. | 7/9/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 20: Conflict Resolution: A Classic Psychological Study | What do gangs, asteroids, a giant octopus and little boys at a summer camp in Robber's Cave State Park in 1954 have in common? Find out this week as we take a look at a wonderful study in psychology which taught us a great deal about intergroup conflict and resolution. This week on The Psych Files. | 6/27/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 19: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: an interview with Jamie O’Neil | Want to learn more about EMDR? Listen to this interview with Jamie O’Neil who explains how EMDR works. Turns out it’s about a lot more than just eye movements. Learn more about Bilateral Stimulation and the rest of what goes into EMDR. | 6/19/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 18: Critical Thinking and the Overflowing Cup | Everyone thinks critical thinking is a great thing. I don’t disagree, but how about a little open mindedness? I take a look at last week’s episode on energy medicine and discuss being critical, the scientific method and remaining open to those matters we cannot access through the scientific method. | 6/11/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 16: They’re at it again - My Favorite Weird Psychology Studies | I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the studies in psychology that I remember not so much because they were groundbreaking or well known (like Pavlov’s dogs or Milgram’s studies on obedience), but because they were just plain weird, or memorable because they were strange. The first of these is coming up soon, and it has to do with a study done in 1976 in which psychology researchers hid in men’s bathrooms to observe…well, you’ll find out. | 5/28/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 15: It’s Not Fair! Equity in Life and Work | The battle cry of childhood - It’s not fair - tends to follow us throughout life. Let’s take a look at how fairness, or the lack therof, plays itself out in the work place. Get ready for a little math. Math? In psychology? You’ll see. | 5/19/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 164 | VideoEpisode 14 (video): What Does Your Car Say About You? | It is time to take a look at the cars we drive and find out what they say about ourselves - our personalities and our lifestyles. This week on The Psych Files. | 5/8/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 13: Big Brother? What Your Grocery Store Knows About You | The question this week: Does your local grocery store know more about you than you do? We take a look at the research that’s been done to learn more about your behavior in the supermarket and how that information is used to get you to buy more than you planned for. | 5/3/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 12: The Necessity of the Frame in Psychotherapy | What is the frame in psychotherapy and why do we need to keep it from breaking? This week I discuss some guidelines set forth by Robert Langs, MD regarding how to know when your relationship with your therapist is healthy - and when it is not. | 4/25/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 167 | VideoEpisode 11 (video): What Does Your Bowling Style Say About You? | In this video episode we look at what your bowling style says about you and about human nature in general. And by the way, why do you keep pressing that elevator button? | 4/18/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 10: What does your search behavior on Amazon.com say about you? | Today we take a look at how your innermost feelings are reflected in what information you pay attention to or ignore as you search around on Amazon. Cognitive dissonance strikes again! | 4/12/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 8: Why do Contradictions Bother Us So Much? Cognitive Dissonance in Our Daily Lives. | Can you be pro choice and against the death penalty, or vice versa? That’s the question we examine this week along with other quandries such as Gingrichs’ affair and Al Gore’s house. This week on The Psych Files. | 3/20/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 7: Blaming the Victim and other Biases | Are rape victims responsible for what happens to them? That is the question we examine this week. We look at blaming the victim and other attributional biases. | 3/11/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 6: The Negative Side of Positive Thinking | What could be bad about thinking positively? That is the question we examine this week on The Psych Files. | 3/4/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 9: How Do You Really Raise Self-Esteem? The Incredibles vs. American Idol | How do you really raise self esteem? This week we take a look at all the talk about young people, narcissism and the self esteem movement. Then we answer the question: how do you raise self esteem? | 3/2/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 5: In Defense of Defense Mechanisms | Too many people dismiss Freud just because he, admittedly, had a few crazy ideas, but as I try to point out in this podcast, many of Freud’s ideas were very influential and can, with a little attention, be seen in everyday life. | 2/25/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 174 | VideoEpisode 4 (video): On Birds Flocking and Opposites Attracting: the data on Love | I got a little ambitious and decided to do a video podcast. One of my favorite topics (I suppose many people’s favorite topics) has to do with how romantic relationships begin and why some relationships flourish while others don’t. Well, this is a topic that psychologists have studied in great depth and some time back I had one of my classes conduct a survey on the topic. So this video podcast has 3 parts: 1) a little background on 3 theories which relate to how relationships begin, 2) a quick overview of the survey my class and I created, and 3) a look at the results using a very neat new program called InspireData (from the Inspiration concept mapping people). I really had fun putting the video podcast together and I hope you find it informative. If you’ve got a moment let me know what you think. | 2/19/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 3: Predictions, Predictions | It’s the beginning of the year and it seems like everyone is making predictions. How about this one: people with large brains are smarter than people with small brains. Don’t believe it? Neither do we. Find out why this prediction is hogwash and what makes for good and bad predictions. | 2/11/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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Episode 2: Rewards and Punishments | Today’s Question: “Do you believe in spanking children to get to them to behave?” We'll examine this controversial issue and you’ll also learn how to tell the difference between positive and negative reinforcement and positive and negative punishment (“positive punishment”? - you’ll have to tune in to figure that one out). | 2/11/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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177 |
Episode 1: What this podcast is all about. | The first episode of The Psych Files. | 1/23/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 177 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
"What Your I-Tunes Rating Says About Your AMAZING Podcast"...
Michael Britt is like that undergrad professor whose Gen Psych course was required for your intended major, and after one 100-Level Seminar you are dashing to the Registrar to beg them to allow you to change to a Psych Major. Professor Britt keeps one foot in traditional pedagogy and another in pop culture, using our daily interests and concerns ("What Do Your Amazon.Com Recommended Buys Say About You?") to illustrate classic theorems of Freud, Skinner, Maslow, and everyone else that you haven't cared about in decades.... until you realized their daily relevance! I am a performing arts instructor, and have listened (and re-listened) to the full canon of Britt's casts, many of which have left me with great insights into my students' previously unfathomable behavior. A must for teachers, students, parents, children- pretty much everyone with a sense of humour, an inquiring mind, and a desire to better comprehend their place in the world.
Great for Psychology students and anyone interested in people!
This is a great podcast for Psychology majors, minors, and instructors, or anyone else who's interested in why we do what we do. Michael Britt manages to take everyday occurances (some mundane and some pretty crazy) and gets you to look at them from different angles. It makes learning about psychology fun and easy by using interesting examples that you can relate to and visualize. Even if you're not a psych major you'll love the topics he covers like "My Favorite Weird Psychology Studies" and "Big Brother: What Your Grocery Store Knows About You." This is a great place for instructors to get some ideas about making class interesting and relatable to students. I love to see what topic this guy is going to cover next!
Britt is Brilliant
I don't have much to say besides that this podcast uses wit and real world scenarios, after all it is "psychology in everyday life", Mr. Britt's banter is informative and entertaining and his podcast is a joy to listen to.
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