#19 - The Labyrinth of Attachment Theory: A Dialogue with Nicole Barbaro

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nicole Barbaro about evolutionary psychology, attachment theory, and challenges with higher education. They give an overview of evolutionary psychology and some of the changes over the years. They also talk about how evolutionary psychology has become more integrated and multidisciplinary. They discuss sexual selection and, specifically, about mate selection and pair bonding. An overview of attachment theory and the 3 sub-categories are presented. They discuss the problems with attachment theory and how forging a new model with some behavioral genetics shows promise. 

A discussion of higher education and the innumerable challenges are presented. They engage about the challenges of college degrees being less valued in the workforce due to the degree arms race. They also touch on the impact that these challenges have for certain groups and how improved qualitative teaching is one major factor to ameliorate this problem. They also discuss asynchronous vs. synchronous teaching and many other topics. 

Nicole Barbaro holds a PhD in psychology with an emphasis on evolution and human development. She is currently a research scientist at WGU labs and continues to publish in academia on attachment. You can find all of her publications at her website. Subscribe to her substack to have weekly content on current trends within higher education. Twitter: @Nicolebarbaro 

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