The Psych Files - Michael Britt

Latest Episodes:

Ep 251: How NOT to Get the Holiday Blues Dec 15, 2015

Show notes

At the end of the year there are so many cues around us that tell us that we should be happy and that we should reflect on our lives. Humbug! Find out how not to fall prey to the holiday blues that are so common.

Ep 250: How I Used Snapchat with My Class Dec 08, 2015

Show notes

Snapchat got a pretty bad rap over the past few years, but did you know that you actually can use this video messaging app in ways that really do help students see the applications of what their teachers are learning in their everyday lives. In this episode I share my experiences using Snapchat with my psychology class. Yes it has it's limitations, but it also has some strengths that I think are worth looking at. Join me as I explore snapchat and give you samples of "snaps" I sent my students.

Ep 248: Guest Host Bo Bennet on Dysrationalia Oct 27, 2015

Show notes

What is Dysrationalia? You've probably heard of a lot of intelligences - Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, Sternberg's Triarchic theory of intelligence and Daniel Goldman's Emotional Intelligence. In this episode, my first guest host Bo Bennett steps in to tell us about the work of psychologist Keith Stanovich's work on "dysratinalia". Do you know someone who seems quite intelligent but they believe in something that is, well...completely irrational? Something that just has no scientific support at all?

Ep 246: Why Replications Sometimes Don't Agree with the Original Study Sep 14, 2015

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What's the connection between life on Mars and the need to properly replicate scientific studies?

Ep 245: The Reproducibility Project: Incentives Out of Whack Sep 08, 2015

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Have you heard that about 100 Psychology studies were replicated and only about 1/3 confirmed the original findings? Why did this happen? Well, one reason has to do with incentives that are out of whack. The "real world" of scientific research is far from the lone researcher looking for the truth. And the other reason has to do with, well, you and the internet. You see, you like to click on things that are surprising or weird (I like to do that too I admit) and that behavior encourages bad research. Let's find out how these things are all connected in this episode of The Psych Files.

Ep 244: Analyze This - Is This What Therapy is Really Like? Aug 09, 2015

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If you have not seen the movie Analyze This with Robert Deniro and Billy Krystal, then you really should. It's not just a funny movie, bit also gets a lot of things about therapy right. So many movies portray psychotherapy so unrealistically but this movie, while it takes a lot of liberties with the therapeutic process, gets some things right and gives you a pretty good idea of how therapy progresses. Through sound bytes from the movie we'll see examples of catharsis, freudian defense mechanisms of denial and minimizing, the analysis of dreams, the breaking of therapeutic boundaries, and Rogerian techniques of reflection. A fascinating movie to take apart and that's just what I do in this episode of ThePsychFiles.

Ep 243: Did Your Therapy Really Work? Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

If you have been in therapy you want to believe it "worked". We all do. And hopefully it did have a positive effect on you. But how do you know? How do therapists know if what they're doing really has resulted in improvements in their clients? Yes, we have controlled studies for many treatments which give us confidence that these techniques really do help people, but we also have a lot of "therapeutic" techniques that have not been thoroughly tested. Nonetheless, lots of amazing claims are made for their effectiveness and no doubt the people who provide these therapies really do believe that they work.

Ep 242: The Psychology of Attractiveness: An Interview with Rob Burriss Jun 25, 2015

Show notes

One of the most popular topics in Psychology is attraction: why are we romantically attracted (or not) to each other? Whenever anyone asks me about this topic, or they ask me for other psychology podcasts in addition to The Psych Files. I send them over to the Psychology of Attractiveness podcast, hosted by Rob Burriss. Rob has been hosting this podcast for the past 6 years and he never fails to uncover the most interesting new research in this field.
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Ep 241: I know What You DIDN'T Do - the Internet of Things for Dementia and Alzheimer's Jun 13, 2015

Show notes

How can technology be used to help people with Dementia and Alzheimer's? Here are a few examples. You may have heard of the "Internet of Things" - this is the idea that we can place small Internet-connected devices onto everyday household objects in order to get information from them about what you are doing - and not doing - throughout the day.

A simple use of these devices would be to program these devices to turn the heat up (or down), turn your coffee on and feed the cat when the device senses that you just woke up.

But how about using these devices with people who have memory problems? We can also detect when you are NOT doing something (and by a certain time) that you ought to be doing (like eating breakfast) and we can give you an automatic reminder or, if you have fallen, automatically send someone a text.

In this episode of The Psych Files we apply technology and psychology to your daily life.

Ep 240: How Do You Treat People Who Are Ill? May 29, 2015

Show notes

We all want to help others - especially those in the "helping professions" - but what's the best way to do that? Therapy? Medication? How about setting up an entire fake village set up to look like the '50s with helping professionals dressed up to look like grocers? Sound bizarre? Well, they're doing it in Amersterdam.

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