Psychology in Everyday Life: The Psych Files

Do you know your own mate value in the dating world? Curious about evolutionary psychology? In this interview with Dr. David Buss we discuss a number of interesting and controversial topics, such as the matching hypothesis and date rape. Are there evolutionary roots to the battle of the sexes and can we change our behavior? Find out in this interview.

The obedience studies originally conducted by Stanley Milgram (sometimes referred to as the Milgram Shock studies) have finally been replicated in a university setting. Will people obey an authority figure and give a stranger a dangerous shock? Or have things changed in the last 40 years such that people will be more willing to be disobedient to authority? Even if you are familiar with the Milgram Obedience studies I guarantee you will learn something new in this podcast. I certainly did. Don't miss this episode of The Psych Files as I review both the original Milgram obedience study and the new study conducted by professor Jerry Burger at Santa Clara University.

In the last episode you saw me memorize - almost perfectly - a list of 20 top sci-fi movies. How did I do it? In this video learn exactly how the advanced pegword system works. I'll show you how each number becomes a letter, each letter becomes a word and each word becomes an image that will help you memorize just about any size list. Skeptical? You won't be after seeing exactly how it's done.

Did you know there's a mnemonic device that is more powerful than the One is a bun pegword mnemonic? Here's a system you can use for lists that have more than 12 items. In this video I show you the advanced pegword mnemonic system in which every number becomes a letter and a concrete word that you can visualize to help you remember a list of any length. See how to put mental imagery and your memory to work in this video.

How do we learn to act in what are called gender appropriate ways? How did you learn to act like a girl and then a woman? Or like a boy and then like a man? Did you experience either penis envy or womb envy? Did this happen as a result of what Freud would call an oedipal complex or perhaps does our tendency to behave in stereotypical masculine and feminine ways come about more simply as a result of watching other males and females in your family, among your friends and on TV? In this episode of The Psych Files we look at the interesting and complex issue of gender identity.

How can you use psychology to design a website so people are likely to buy products from you? Or design a website so people are likely to donate money to your cause? In this episode Dr Susan Weinschenk discusses some of these ideas from her book Neuro Web Design. Ever thought you could apply brain science to web design? Find out how in this episode of The Psych Files.

Everyone tells you that you should have "passion for your work". Personally, I think that's a bunch of malarky, balderdash and hooey. And much of it could be the fault of psychologists. You might actually enjoy work that you never dreamed could make you happy. In this episode I talk about what Mike Rowe of the show Dirty Jobs had to say about work and how that ties into the work of Dan Gilbert (author of Stumbling On Happiness).

Do you hate meetings as much as I do? How do you make them work? Business people and students often hate meetings and group projects because it's hard to get everyone to participate and it's hard to just get things done. In this episode of The Psych Files I show the many connections between a typical Introductory Psychology textbook and the everyday event of a business or group meeting. In the end I talk with professional project manager April Montana who shares with you some of her secrets to making group members get things done.

Guess what? There's no such thing as a learning style! Don't believe it? Listen to this interview with professor and author Daniel Willingham as he and I discuss the topic of learning styles. If there is no scientific support for learning styles then whey do we believe they must exist? We also discuss the multiple intelligence. While there is support for this idea, many people are confused as to what Howard Gardner really says about his own theory. Let's see if we can set the record straight about learning styles, abilities, and intelligences in this episode of The Psych Files.

Watching commercials actually increases your enjoyment of the show. Do you believe it? Did you, like myself, pay good money on a Tivo or video digital recorder just so you could avoid commercials? Well, before you skip passed those commercials check out this episode of The Psych Files.

Who is most likely to be a victim of sexual harassment? Is it the attractive female secretary? The attractive female employee by a man who is higher up in the organizational hierarchy? These are the stereotypes that many people hold but there may be qualities that some women have that make some men uncomfortable and this may result in sexual harassment. Learn more about this complex issue in this episode of The Psych Files.

Why does it seem that males in many cultures have to prove their manhood? Do women have to prove their womanhood? Why is this and what happens when men feel like they are less than a man? In this review of a recent research article entitled, Precarious Manhood, we take a look at this intriguing issue.

Can games really be educational? They certainly addictive and engaging. Can we harness this aspect of games and use it to learn? In this video I show you why I believe the answer is yes. Let's talk about what really good teaching is and what really good games are like. Then I take you on a brief tour of what I believe are some of the best examples of great educational games. This time on The Psych Files.

Let's take a close look at why people see a lot of strange things around them - including me. We'll see images on lemon slices, building tops, etc. Why do we perceive these things? ... Show notes and more available at http://www.thepsychfiles.com

What the heck is constructivism anyway? In this episode I explore that topic with Dr. Eugene Geist. We also explore what some would consider a radical concept in education:democratic schools. What would happen if we let children decide how they wanted to learn? Complete Chaos? Or an exciting new way to get students involved in and taking responsibility for learning? Find out in this episode of The Psych Files.