Our final chapter (at least for now)! In this episode, Paul and David discuss the science of happiness. We cover the difficulty of defining happiness (or the good life in general), the rise of 'positive psychology', the various factors that we

Chapter 14: Clinical Psychology

Jun 27th, 2023 56m 43s

Paul and David go further beyond their areas of expertise than usual and discuss the field of clinical psychology--the part of psychology interested in understanding and treating psychological dysfunction. What are mental illnesses? How do we c

Chapter 13: Individual Differences

Jun 20th, 2023 1h 1m

Paul and David step away from the study of psychological universals to discuss the ways in which we are different from one another. What is our best theory of personality? How is personality assessed? Do personality tests predict behavior? What

Chapter 12: Social Psychology Pt. 2

Jun 12th, 2023 1h 8m

In this episode, Paul and David tackle the social psychology of groups (or at least, a small part of it!). Why do we fall prey to stereotyping? Why do we so sharply distinguish between "us" and "them"? What are the developmental and evolutionar

Chapter 11: Social Psychology Pt. 1

May 29th, 2023 55m 25s

Paul and David begin their discussion of social pyschology by diving into a few of the big topics/areas of research in the field: the differences between the way we see ourselves and the way we see others, obedience to authority and Milgram's c

Psych Q&A

May 22nd, 2023 1h 8m

Paul and David devote an episode to listener questions. Among the topics we discuss--the function of consciousness, the psychology of trauma (and it's growing popularity), how we deal with our non-expertise when discussing research outside our

Chapter 10: The Replication Crisis

May 8th, 2023 55m 41s

In this episode, Paul and David dive into the controversy surrounding the very public failings of scientific psychology--the so-called "replication crisis". Why did it happen, how has it changed how we view (and teach) about our field, and are

Chapter 9: Emotion and Motivation

May 2nd, 2023 1h 1m

What are the things that move us as human beings? In this episode Paul and David cover a broad range of "hot" topics (having to do with emotion and motivation), including evolutionary theory, disgust, sexual desire, morality, and how much money

Chapter 8: Rationality

Apr 24th, 2023 56m

Paul and David discuss human rationality and its limitations, including the heuristics-and-biases approach, System 1 and System 2, positive illusions, confirmation bias, motivated reasoning, and conspiracy theories. Read the book that inspired

Chapter 7: Sensation, Perception, and Memory

Apr 17th, 2023 1h 1m

How do we get the external world into our heads? In this episode, Paul and David cover a few of the more interesting features of sensation, perception, and memory. What can visual illusions tell us about the mind? Can perception be influenced b

Chapter 6: Language

Apr 10th, 2023 1h 14m

In this episode Paul and David discuss another of Paul's area of expertise--language. What is language? Do any animals have it? How does it develop (and how do children learn it so fast)? Why do children learn nouns sooner than they learn verbs

Chapter 5: Piaget and Development

Apr 3rd, 2023 57m 15s

Paul and David discuss the influential developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, his theories and legacy, stage theories of development, modern developmental psychology and its methods, and the "nature vs nurture" debate.Read the book that inspi

Chapter 4: B.F. Skinner and Behaviorism

Mar 27th, 2023 1h 8m

Slot machines, phobias and superstitions, dog training techniques, cures for insomnia... behaviorism has something to say about all of these (and much more!). The scope and ambition of B.F. Skinner's behaviorism rivals that of Freud's--except S

Chapter 3: Freud

Mar 20th, 2023 55m 32s

Paul and David discuss Freud's legacy in psychology and culture, why he should continue to be taught, his theories of the unconscious and psychosexual development, the oedipal conflict, the efficacy of psychoanalysis, and the unfalsifiability o

Chapter 2: Consciousness

Mar 13th, 2023 58m 11s

Paul and David tackle one of the most difficult questions when it comes to the mind--consciousness. What is it? Can a computer be conscious? What do psychologists mean when they use the term consciousness? What do we know about the psychology o

Chapter 1: The Brain

Mar 6th, 2023 59m 8s

In this episode, Paul and David discuss the human brain. Is psychology just brain science? Is the brain a computer? What are brains made of and how do they work? Are people right or left brained? What do split brain patients tell us about ident

Chapter 0: An Introduction

Mar 6th, 2023 41m 40s

In this episode Paul and David talk about who they are and what they're doing with this podcast. Learn about their background, why they teach intro psych, and their personal biases about theories in psychology. Read the book that inspired the