Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files

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? Could they be another way of blaming the victim?  In this episode I explore the Justice Motive.    

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.    

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.      Walter Cronkite: The Man With America's Trust

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. Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish  

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).    The Faber Mazlish Website   Parent Wonder - good site with a summary of Faber/Mazlish ideas    

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.

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. Video: The influence of robot anthropomorphism on the feelings of embarrassment when interacting with robots   Channel N article and video

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 how your cerebellum, your parietal lobe your somato-sentory cortex and your amygdala are all involved in your ability to sing.  I'll also look at how mental rehearsal can positively affect how well you perform a task.    Kleber, B., Veit, R., Birbaumer, N., Gruzelier, J., & Lotze, M. (2009). The Brain of Opera Singers: Experience-Dependent Changes in Functional Activation. Cerebral Cortex, 20  (5), 1144-1152.Cerebral CortexZarate, J.M. and Zatorre, R.J. (2008). Experience-dependent neural substrates involved in vocal pitch regulation during singing.  NeuroImage, 40, 1871–1887.Kleber, B. Birbaumer, N., Veit, R. Trevorrow, T. and Lotze, M. (2007). Overt and imagined singing of an Italian aria.  NeuroImage, 36, 889-900.Buonomano DV, Merzenich MM. 1998. Cortical plasticity: from synapses to maps. Annu Rev Neurosci. 21:149-186.Elbert T, Pantev C, Wienbruch C, Rockstroh B, Taub E. 1995. Increased cortical representation of the fingers of the left hand in string players. Science. 270:305-307.Gunji A, Ishii R, Chau W, Kakigi R, Pantev C. 2007. Rhythmic brain activities related to singing in humans. Neuroimage. 34:426-434.Nielsen JB, Cohen LG. 2008. The Olympic brain. Does corticospinal plasticity play a role in acquisition of skills required for high- performance sports? J Physiol. 586:65--70.Opera singing in the brain scanner

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.  You may also have been told that statistics is just logic and intuition.  This study may just convince you of that. Kushnir, T., Xu, F. & Wellman, H. M. (2010).  Young children use statistical sampling to infer the preferences of others. Psychological Science, 21,1134-1140.

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.