Cognitive Engineering

Some things seem difficult to purchase in the right quantities. Why do we always end up with too much celery in our fridge? Image: Peter Griffin via publicdomainpictures.net Things mentioned in this podcast: WRAP report on food and drink waste http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Household_food_and_drink_waste_in_the_UK_-_report.pdf For more Cognitive Engineering episodes find us on iTunes, Goo...

Following Gavin Williamson’s sacking from Theresa May’s cabinet, we discuss the indicators of whether or not someone is telling the truth. Image: Gavin Williamson. By UK Parliament via Wikipedia Things mentioned in this podcast - Rogers et al (2017), Artful Paltering (https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-59847-001) - Serota et al (2010), The Prevalence of Lying in America (https://msu.edu/~levinet/...

David Cameron famously promised ‘stability and strong Government’ if he won the 2015 general election. How can we minimise our chances of our statements being undermined by subsequent events? Image: Great Temple at Abu Simbel by youssef_alam via Wikipedia Things mentioned in this podcast: -David Cameron’s famous tweet: https://twitter.com/david_cameron/status/595112367358406656?lang=en -Shelley’s...

As London’s black cabs move inexorably towards extinction, we ponder whether the progress of civilisation is merely illusory. Image: JamesGardinerCollection via Flickr Things mentioned in this podcast -‘Meditations on Moloch’ from Slate Star Codex: https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/ -The Tragedy of the Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons -Ronald...

David Simoes-Brown, CEO of 100%Open, tells us why we should trust our feelings when it comes to important decisions. Image: The Anger of Achilles, by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo via Wikipedia Things mentioned in this podcast - David Simoes-Brown, CEO of 100%Open: http://www.100open.com/person/david-simoes-brown/ - Categorising basic emotions: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/hide-and-seek/201...

When do you grow up? Is there a cut off age to childhood or are we constantly growing up? Image: rawpixel.com Things mentioned in this podcast Commons’s Model of Hierarchical Complexity: https://www.dareassociation.org/documents/GWOF_A_330277%20Introduction.pdf The Seven Ages of Man: https://jrbenjamin.com/2013/06/04/seven-ages-of-man/ David Finkelhore: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Finkelho...

What happens when algorithms learn to be biased? What does that even mean? We talk to special guest Dr Jess Whittlestone from the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence about whether algorithmic bias is something to worry about, and whether anything can be done about it? Image: CBS Television via Wikipedia Things mentioned in this podcast Danks and London (2017): A taxonomy of types and...

Should transgender women be allowed to compete in women’s sports? Is it unfair on cis women if they do? Is it unfair on trans women if they can’t? Is there a coherent logic to the partitioning of sporting events? Image: by Michael Steele via Getty Images Things mentioned in this podcast - Martina Navratilova’s criticism of transgender women in sport https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/martina...

Understanding how other people are going to behave is a key element of analysis and forecasting. But professional actors do this all the time. We talk to special guest Edmund Kingsley to find out what insights the acting trade can offer for analysts. Image: Carole Raddato via Wikicommons Things mentioned in this podcast -A summary of attribution biases. https://opentextbc.ca/socialpsychology/chapt...

What’s the point of tidying up? It’s just moving stuff from one place to another. But does it offer cognitive and health benefits, and if so why? Image: My Bed by Tracey Emin. Photo: Karen Bryan via Flickr Things mentioned in this podcast Tidiness guru Marie Kondo https://konmari.com/ McMains and Kastner (2011): clutter makes concentration harder https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21228167 Sitton...

Is the slow creep of Americanisms into the British vernacular a pernicious assault on our linguistic heritage, or should we just chill? Things mentioned in this podcast Goncalves etc al (2018) on the Americanisation of English: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1707.00781.pdf Britishisms in US English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19929249 Differences in US and English Harry Potter editions: https://ww...

Where would we be without the likes of Da Vinci, Turing and Goethe? Things mentioned in this podcast Jordan Peterson on the ‘curse of creativity’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocDli45faiw Wallas’ ‘The Art of Thought’: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Thought-Graham-Wallas-ebook/dp/B00MBPCBQ8 Kaufman and Beghetto on types of creativity: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228345133_Beyond_Big_and...

Smells like… something Why is smell the oft forgotten sense, and where does following our nose take us? Image: Barney Moss via Flickr Things mentioned in this podcast Wired article on why smells are hard to describe: https://www.wired.com/2014/11/whats-up-with-that-smells-language/ Smell and the reminiscence bump: https://academic.oup.com/chemse/article/37/2/179/273246

Russia after Putin - is history shaped by great men and women, or are they just in the right place at the right time? Image: Пресс-служба Президента Российской Федерации via Wikipedia Things mentioned in this podcast Hoffman et al (2011) - a study of the drivers of good leadership https://psyc.franklin.uga.edu/sites/default/files/CVs/Great%20man%20or%20great%20myth_-2%20(1).pdf The most influentia...

Is reality killing fiction? Things mentioned in this podcast Scripted dramas are not dying out: https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/2017-scripted-tv-series-fx-john-landgraf-1202653856/ Ranker article on the ‘Dumbest Reality Shows of All Time’: https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-dumbest-reality-shows-of-all-time Vox on the rise of reality TV: https://www.vox.com/2016/1/7/10728206/reality-show...

What makes a good analogy? Is Tyrion Lannister a good comparison for Michael Gove? Things mentioned in this podcast Michael Gove is like Tyrion Lannister: https://news.sky.com/story/is-environment-secretary-michael-gove-really-like-his-game-of-thrones-soulmate-tyrion-lannister-11559555 Funes, the Memorious by Borges: https://marom.net.technion.ac.il/files/2016/07/Funes-the-Memorious.pdf Cartesian...

Is being polite better than being rude? Does civility really cost nothing and buy you everything? What are the costs of being polite? Image by Jean-Étienne Liotard via Wikipedia Things mentioned in this podcast: Links between agreeableness and outcomes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3845351/ Punshing people who are too nice: http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-14719-007 Psychology To...

Are Preppers mad? Or are they wise to get ready for Britain to crash out the EU? Should we stock up on beans and UHT? Image: Vaciando el supermercado via Wikimedia Commons

Why do builders get such a bad rep? What makes us trust some trades people and not others?

What things do we take for granted? Will new riches make us happier? Image: Daderot via Wikipedia Things mentioned in this podcast Great Expectations by Dickens: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1400/1400-h/1400-h.htm Brickman and Campbell (1971) on the hedonic treadmill: http://faculty.som.yale.edu/ShaneFrederick/HedonicTreadmill.pdf Kahneman and Tversky (1981) on framing effects: http://science.s...

Were Dynasties camera crews right to rescue wild engines? Should we give iPhones to uncontracted peoples? What could possibly go wrong? Image: Christopher Michel via Wikipedia

Are personality tests any use? What can they tell us if anything? Or is it like a star-sign? Take the test! https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

What is Remembrance for? How long should it be observed? Image: Philip Stevens via Wikipedia

Are we more polarised than ever before? Things mentioned in this episode: - Recent Pew Research on polarisation: http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/political-polarization/2018/ - Jonathan Wheatley on voter clustering: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/the-polarisation-of-party-supporters-since-2015/ - Poole and Rosenthal’s original paper proposing metrics for polarisation in the US legislatu...

Would you wear cycling shorts to the office? Image: fourway333 via flickr