Speaking of Psychology

Latest Episodes:

Why you should aim to be a “good enough” parent, with Tim Cavell, PhD, and Lauren Quetsch, PhD Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

Being a parent can be tough these days. Dozens of books and articles offer competing answers to questions from how to help siblings get along to how much screen time is too much, and every decision you make feels important. It's no wonder that many parents feel tired, stressed, and unsure of whether they're doing a good job. Tim Cavell, PhD, and Lauren Quetsch, PhD, authors of Good Enough Parenting: A Six-Point Plan for a Stronger Relationship With Your Child, talk about what “good enough parenting” means and why it’s a worthy goal, why nurturing the parent-child relationship is parents’ most important job, why science backs the old adage “choose your battles wisely,” and how to develop loving, supportive relationships with your kids that will stand the test of time. More info: Tim Cavell, PhD, Lauren Quetsch, PhD, Good Enough Parenting: A Six-Point Plan for a Stronger Relationship With Your Child, and Speaking of Psychology home page.

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Why our attention spans are shrinking, with Gloria Mark, PhD Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

These days, most of us live our lives tethered to our computers and smartphones, which are unending sources of distraction. Research has shown that over the past couple of decades people’s attention spans have shrunk in measurable ways. Gloria Mark, PhD, of the University of California Irvine, talks about how the internet and digital devices have affected our ability to focus, why multitasking is so stressful, and how understanding the science of attention can help us to regain our focus when we need it.

Learn more: Gloria Mark, PhD, Speaking of Psychology Home Page

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How to live with bipolar disorder, with David Miklowitz, PhD, and Terri Cheney Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

Up to 4% of people in the U.S. have bipolar disorder, but as common as this mood disorder is, it is also often misunderstood. Psychologist and researcher David Miklowitz, PhD, and writer and mental health advocate Terri Cheney talk about what it’s like to live with bipolar disorder; how it’s diagnosed; and what researchers have learned about effective treatments including therapy and medication. Links David Miklowitz, PhD Terri Cheney

Speaking of Psychology Home Page

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How psychology can help people make better decisions, with Lace Padilla, PhD, and Hannah Perfecto, PhD Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

All day, every day, we have to make decisions, from what to have for breakfast to how to spend our money to whether to evacuate ahead of a hurricane. Psychologists’ research is helping us understand why people make the decisions they do, from trivial choices to life-and-death ones. Decision scientists Lace Padilla, PhD, and Hannah Perfecto, PhD, discuss why people make bad decisions, how even small changes in the way choices are presented can nudge us to make different ones, and how can decision researchers’ findings could best be deployed in the real world. Links Lace Padilla, PhD Hannah Perfecto, PhD Speaking of Psychology Home Page

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Can a pathological liar be cured? with Drew Curtis, PhD, and Christian L. Hart, PhD Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

Almost everyone lies occasionally, but for a small percentage of people, lying isn't something that they do every once in a while -- it's a way of life. Drew Curtis, PhD, of Angelo State University, and Christian L. Hart, PhD, of Texas Woman’s University, authors of a new book on pathological lying, talk about what drives “big liars” to lie, why they believe pathological lying should be classified as a mental health disorder, whether liars really are more prevalent in some professions, such as politics and sales, and how you can recognize lies and protect yourself from being duped.

Links

Drew Curtis, PhD

Christian L. Hart, PhD

Pathological Lying: Theory, Research and Practice by Drew A. Curtis and Christian L. Hart, APA Books

Speaking of Psychology Home Page

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Understanding and overcoming phobias, with Martin Antony, PhD Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

Specific phobias – such as fear of heights, needles, flying or spiders – affect up to 13 percent of people at some point in their lives. Clinical psychologist Dr. Martin Antony, PhD, of Toronto Metropolitan University, talks about the difference between a fear and a phobia, where phobias come from, what the most common phobias are, and the effective therapies and strategies that can help people overcome them.

Links Martin Antony, PhD Speaking of Psychology Home Page

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What our possessions mean to us, with Russell Belk, PhD Jan 04, 2023

Show notes

The things that we own can be central to our identity, part of how we see ourselves and how other people see us. Russell Belk, PhD, of York University, talks about the role our possessions play in our lives; what drives collectors to collect items as disparate as stamps, art and Pez dispensers; how the word “possessions” can encompass physical, digital and even completely intangible items; and how has the rise of the sharing economy is changing the way people think about the importance of ownership. Links Russell Belk, PhD Speaking of Psychology Home Page

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Encore - The people who never forget a face, with Josh Davis, PhD, and Kelly Desborough Dec 28, 2022

Show notes

Super-recognizers have an extraordinary ability to recognize faces—they can pick faces they’ve seen only briefly out of a crowd and can recognize childhood acquaintances they haven’t seen in decades. Josh Davis, PhD, a professor of applied psychology at the University of Greenwich, and super-recognizer Kelly Desborough discuss the origins of this ability, why you can’t train yourself to be a super-recognizer, how super-recognizers compare with facial-recognition algorithms, and why police departments and security organizations are interested in working with super-recognizers.

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Encore - Psychology takes toys seriously, with Barry Kudrowitz, PhD, and Doris Bergen, PhD Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

Just in time for toy-buying season, Barry Kudrowitz, PhD, a toy designer and professor of product design at the University of Minnesota, and Doris Bergen, PhD, a professor emerita of educational psychology at Miami University in Ohio, discuss the psychology of toys. What makes something a good toy? Why do some toys stand the test of time while others fizzle out after one season? How has technology changed the way kids play with toys? Does gender affect kids’ toy choices? And do we ever grow out of toys?

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The challenge of long COVID, with Tracy Vannorsdall, PhD, and Rowena Ng, PhD Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

Nearly three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, millions of Americans are still living with the effects of the virus. Neuropsychologists Tracy Vannorsdall, PhD, and Rowena Ng, PhD, talk about the cognitive and mental health symptoms of long COVID, what treatments are available, and the most pressing questions that researchers need to answer to get help to patients who need it. Links Tracy Vannorsdall, PhD Rowena Ng, PhD Speaking of Psychology Home Page

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