Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files

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...

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 t...

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 cognitiv...

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 informatio...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 the...

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?

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, a...

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 th...

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 attra...

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...

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 stud...

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...

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...

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...

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 f...

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’...

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 (the basis for the well known (two factor theory of emotion) and the Suspension Bridge study. This week the Good, the Bad and...

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... Show notes and more available at http://www.thepsychfiles.com

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... Show notes and more available at http://www.thepsychfiles.com

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.... Show notes and more available at http://www.thepsychfiles.com