Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files

Passengers on an airplane spring to action when a stewardess needs help - but a neighborhood in New York City does very little when a woman is attacked. What's different? How can we take what we learn from the airplane and apply it to the attack? Lecturing the neighborhood residents probably won't help. Can we do anything to the way the neighborhood is laid out to encourage interaction among residents and a greater sense of interdependency among them? That's what we explore in this episode of The Psych Files.

Passengers on an airplane spring to action when a stewardess needs help - but a neighborhood in New York City does very little when a woman is attacked. What's different about these situations? How can we take what we learn from the airplane and apply it to the attack? Lecturing the neighborhood residents probably won't help. Can we do anything to the way the neighborhood is laid out to encourage interaction among residents and a greater sense of interdependency among them? That's what we explore in this episode of The Psych Files.

How can we use a little psychology to get you to slow down when you're driving? You'd be surprised. Very often road signs like "Slow" or a posted speed limit of, say 20 mph does not work. Drivers go past these signs and nothing bad happens so after a while they're ignored. We try to make it more personal with signs say, "Drive as if your kids live here", but often that doesn't work. How about something trickier: what if we enlisted the help of those 3D sidewalk artists? What could they possibly do? You'll find out.

How can we use a little psychology to get you to slow down when you're driving? You'd be surprised.  Very often road signs like "Slow" or a posted speed limit of, say 20 mph does not work.  Drivers go past these signs and nothing bad happens so after a while they're ignored.  We try to make it more personal with signs say, "Drive as if your kids live here", but often that doesn't work.  How about something trickier: what if we enlisted the help of those 3D sidewalk artists?  What could they possibly do?  You'll find out.  

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 251: How NOT to Get the Holiday Blues

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.

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.

I created my Brain Mnemonics app in 2009 and ever since then people have asked me, "How do you build an app?". There are a lot of ways, but in this video I give you a behind the scenes look at my popular app called Brain Mnemonics. If you need to memorize the parts of the brain, the neuron, neurotransmitters and brain scans - this is the app for you. If you're just interested in how apps get made - well, this is one way. Everything from the initial idea to the programming is highlighted in this video episode. Feel free to check out the app below for both iOS and Android.

Ep 249: How To Build a Psychology App

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 248: Guest Host Bo Bennet on Dysrationalia

Here's a real life example of Optimum Arousal theory.

Ep 247: Optimum Arousal Theory

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