Psych Segments

This election matters - and so does your voice! This is a re-release of a 2018 episode that covers the motivation behind whether people choose to vote or not, and it is just as important now as it was 2 years ago. Take a listen, and then make a plan to vote. 

There is a rule in sales - if you want the customer to pay one price for a product, always tell them first that the price is much higher. Want to know why? The answer lies in the psychology of compliance. Compliance is a change in behavior as the result of a request. We are asked to do things countless times each day...so why do we comply with some of them?

The world is in a crisis. The coronavirus pandemic is affecting millions around the globe. As of today in the US, over 125,000 have been infected (that we know of) and over 2,000 have died. Our healthcare system is about to break under the pressure. And everything is cancelled. Life as we know it has stopped for a while. But here is the real mystery - why is everyone hoarding toilet paper? Since when did paper products become like gold? What is up with all the weird behavior that we are witnessing during this pandemic? Here is the psychology behind it.

Remember all those stupid trends you went along with in high school? There's a reason why you did it. Conformity is when we behave or think in certain ways because we feel like we should, because we want to "fit in" with a social group. No one told you to wear that cliche' Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt or use all that AquaNet in your hair, but you did it...and social psychology says that you are in the majority.

You aren't supposed to "judge a book by it's cover" and yet, you find yourself making instant assumptions about who someone is based on their initial appearance and first impression. Are you a bad person? Nope - according to social psychologists, you are engaging in a normal psychological phenomenon known as "person perception." And while this snap judgement about a person's characteristics might be inaccurate, there is an explanation for why it happens.

This episode reviews the two main approaches to treating psychological disorders: psychotherapy and biomedical treatment. While each has its own pros and cons, understanding the goal of each approach is important. *Side note: This episode does not intend to give treatment suggestions or advice to any listener - it is simply an informational overview*

Autism is the most misunderstood, yet fastest growing, spectrum of disability in the US. It is a developmental delay based disorder with specific symptoms that are important to recognize early. It is often represented by an image of a puzzle piece, because trying to understand, decode and treat autism is like a mysterious puzzle. This is an important (and longer) episode because this is an important topic. And - spoiler alert - NO, vaccines do not cause autism.

Ah, the teenage years - so full of drama. According to Piaget, there is a reason why. Adolescents think differently than adults, despite being more advanced in reasoning than younger children. This episode wraps up the Piaget Series and covers the last stage in his Theory of Cognitive Development - Formal Operational thinking.

It's 5 o'clock somewhere...but according to a child in the Concrete Operational Stage of Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development, it is really only 4:58pm. This episode covers how children think from ages 7-11 and why they tend to reason as if they were stubborn scientists. 

Children say some pretty funny things - and if you understand Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development, it makes sense why. Children in the Preoperational Stage think differently than adults - they believe in animals coming to life, they have trouble with impulse control and they don't understand why everyone in their class really isn't a "friend." This episode goes over some of the basic qualities that occur in thinkers from ages 2-7.

Babies are pretty cute - but they are also super curious and actively thinking from the day that they are born. This episode discusses the first stage in Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development. It also helps to explain why toddlers are so bad at hide and seek!

The basics of how sensation works – nothing fancy, nothing complicated. This episode is a review of the four main terms used to understand how we sense physical stimuli. Also, it contains the elusive explanation as to why the first 10 minutes of a concert are not nearly as "good" as the rest of it.

You thought you were signed up for a psych class, but now you have to learn about the complicated workings of the body’s nervous system. While you are patiently waiting to get to the chapter on personality disorders, take a listen to this episode on the nervous system and how it breaks down in to specific divisions. As intriguing as learning about sociopaths? Probably not. But will it be on your psych exam? Most likely. Confused? Help is here.

Ever wonder what we used to think the brain did? Want to know how Def Leppard and The Roots are related to mistakes in neuropsychology? Tune in for this entertaining look at how wrong we were about the causes and cures in mental health.

The first episode of the new podcast series, Psych Segments, is here! Did you just enroll in a general psych course? Think you know what psychology is all about, but want to be sure? This episode is the perfect place to start.

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Here's the first episode in a 5 part series that covers the basics of Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development and the respective stages. Piaget was a revolutionary when it came to understanding how children think, and his theories are discussed frequently in all types of psychology courses. This episode discusses some of the basics, like how we use mental scripts to organize information or why children consider all fuzzy, four-legged animals to be dogs. 

Does drinking water cause you to die? No – but there is a strong correlation between people who die and people who have consumed water. Correlations show relationships, and this type of research is widely used in psychology. It is often widely misinterpreted because we commonly confuse correlation with causation. Check out this episode to learn the basics of correlational research and statistics. It won’t cause you to do better on your next psych exam…but it definately won’t hurt.

Have you ever had someone say to you, “if you do that, there’ll be consequences?” Well, they were right. In fact, every voluntary behavior we choose is going to have some sort of consequence. In Operant Conditioning, the types of consequences that occur are explained as the reasons our future behavior may change (or not.) And trust me, if you listen to this episode, there will be consequences…and most likely, it will be a better grade on your next psych exam.

One night, you had a dream about a tunnel and a dog and other weird stuff, and now you want to know what it all means? This review of Freud’s Theory of Dreams can help you gain some insight. And while it may not be the most evidence-based theory, it is still pretty cool…and it will probably be on your upcoming psych exam.