Psych

Our final chapter (at least for now)! In this episode, Paul and David discuss the science of happiness. We cover the difficulty of defining happiness (or the good life in general), the rise of 'positiv

Paul and David go further beyond their areas of expertise than usual and discuss the field of clinical psychology--the part of psychology interested in understanding and treating psychological dysfunct

Paul and David step away from the study of psychological universals to discuss the ways in which we are different from one another. What is our best theory of personality? How is personality assessed?

In this episode, Paul and David tackle the social psychology of groups (or at least, a small part of it!). Why do we fall prey to stereotyping? Why do we so sharply distinguish between "us" and "them"?

Paul and David begin their discussion of social pyschology by diving into a few of the big topics/areas of research in the field: the differences between the way we see ourselves and the way we see oth

Paul and David devote an episode to listener questions. Among the topics we discuss--the function of consciousness, the psychology of trauma (and it's growing popularity), how we deal with our non-expe

In this episode, Paul and David dive into the controversy surrounding the very public failings of scientific psychology--the so-called "replication crisis". Why did it happen, how has it changed how we

What are the things that move us as human beings? In this episode Paul and David cover a broad range of "hot" topics (having to do with emotion and motivation), including evolutionary theory, disgust,

Paul and David discuss human rationality and its limitations, including the heuristics-and-biases approach, System 1 and System 2, positive illusions, confirmation bias, motivated reasoning, and conspi

How do we get the external world into our heads? In this episode, Paul and David cover a few of the more interesting features of sensation, perception, and memory. What can visual illusions tell us abo

In this episode Paul and David discuss another of Paul's area of expertise--language. What is language? Do any animals have it? How does it develop (and how do children learn it so fast)? Why do childr

Paul and David discuss the influential developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, his theories and legacy, stage theories of development, modern developmental psychology and its methods, and the "nature v

Slot machines, phobias and superstitions, dog training techniques, cures for insomnia... behaviorism has something to say about all of these (and much more!). The scope and ambition of B.F. Skinner's b

Paul and David discuss Freud's legacy in psychology and culture, why he should continue to be taught, his theories of the unconscious and psychosexual development, the oedipal conflict, the efficacy of

Paul and David tackle one of the most difficult questions when it comes to the mind--consciousness. What is it? Can a computer be conscious? What do psychologists mean when they use the term consciousn

In this episode, Paul and David discuss the human brain. Is psychology just brain science? Is the brain a computer? What are brains made of and how do they work? Are people right or left brained? What

In this episode Paul and David talk about who they are and what they're doing with this podcast. Learn about their background, why they teach intro psych, and their personal biases about theories in ps