Brain Buzz

In Episode 40 we are joined by Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk from the Positive Activities in Intimate Relationships Lab at Carleton University to chat about how play and positivity can stave off boredom in long term intimate relationships. Cheryl shares with us how the leisure activities we participate in with our partner can improve relationship satisfaction and how exploration plays a critical role in making activities less boring. What is relational boredom? What can you do to promote play and fun in your intimate relationships? What is the perfect date? All this and much more in Playful Relationships with Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk!

In Episode 39 we are joined by Dr. Chris Davis from Carleton University to learn about posttraumatic growth following trauma. Chris shares with us how individuals make cognitive and emotional adaptations that promote personal growth and health following traumatic life events. Plus, we get a sneak peek at new work from Dr. Davis’ lab about the psychological costs of keeping secrets from your partner! What is posttraumatic growth? After an individual experiences a trauma, how does that change their philosophy towards life? Is it possible to elicit posttraumatic growth and should clinicians try? How do expectations about positive life events moderate personal growth outcomes? All this and much more in Posttraumatic Growth and Secrets with Dr. Chris Davis!

In Episode 38 we are joined by Dr. Taylor Kohut from the University of Western Ontario to discuss pornography, its consumption, and the consequences of pornography on relationships. Taylor shares with us how pornography makes us feel, think, and behave, and why it is important to understand the intersection between porn users and pornographic preferences. What is pornography? Does pornography consumption lead to sexual violence or other anti-social behaviours? How does consuming pornography effect your sexual satisfaction and how you perceive your partner? All this and much more in Researching Pornography with Dr. Taylor Kohut!

References

Balzarini, R. N., Dobson, K., Chin, K., & Campbell, L. (2017). Does exposure to erotica reduce attraction and love for romantic partners in men? independent replications of Kenrick, Gutierres, and Goldberg (1989) study 2. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 70, 191-197. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2016.11.003

Bogaert, A. F. (2001). Personality, individual differences, and preferences for the sexual media. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 30(1), 29-53. doi:10.1023/A:1026416723291

Kohut, T., Balzarini, R. N., Fisher, W. A., Grubbs, J. B., Campbell, L., & Prause, N. (2019). Surveying pornography use: A shaky science resting on poor measurement foundations. The Journal of Sex Research, , 1-21. doi:10.1080/00224499.2019.1695244

In Episode 37 we are joined by Kathie Bailey from Queen’s University and Trent University to chat about social problem solving and perspective taking in children with epilepsy. Kathie shares with us how the language ability of children with epilepsy contributes to difficulties in social perspective taking. How does epilepsy impact social cognitive processes and development in children? Why is language ability important in social perspective taking? What interventions are effective for assisting the social problem solving of children with epilepsy? All this and much more in Social Perspective Taking in Children with Epilepsy with Kathie Bailey!

In Episode 36 we visit with Dr. Zach Walsh from the University of British Columbia Okanagan to chat about how social and cultural attitudes towards cannabis have changed with its legalization. Zach shares with us how research has shaped, and will continue to guide, changing norms and uses of cannabis - particularly surrounding its use medicinally. What barriers exist to understanding the advantages and disadvantages of cannabis medicinally and clinically? How can we integrate cannabis with other psychotherapies in the treatment of anxiety? What does cannabis research in human populations look like? All this and much more in Into the Weeds: Researching Cannabis with Dr. Zach Walsh!

In Episode 35 we are joined by Dr. Kathleen Gates from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to chat about how each brain is unique and what that means for psychological research. Kathleen shares with us how measuring brain processes over time enables researchers to tease apart differences in psychological functioning and predict future psychological outcomes. How do differences in brain processes explain the uniqueness of human behaviour? If each brain is different, can we build personalized psychological treatments? What does The Lion King have to do with psychological research? All this and much more in The Unique Brain with Dr. Kathleen Gates!

In Episode 34 we are joined by Dr. Carey Morewedge from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University to chat about bias in decision making. Carey shares with us how biases, such as anchoring or confirmation bias, contribute to decision making and what can be done to mitigate these biases. What happens when biases effect our decision making? Can we be trained to be less susceptible to bias? If so, how long can the effects of debiasing training interventions last for? All this and much more in Debiasing Training with Dr. Carey Morewedge!

In Episode 33 we are joined by Dr. Liana Machado from the Department of Psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand to chat about the effects of physical activity on cognition. Liana shares with us how exercise impacts brain blood flow and cognitive outcomes across the human life, especially in ageing. How does physical activity improve cognitive performance? What does brain blood flow tell us about how the brain functions? What kind of cognitive functions are benefitted by physical activity? All this and much more in The Brain on Exercise with Dr. Liana Machado!

In Episode 32 we are joined by Dr. Wolf Vanpaemel from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at KU Leuven to discuss the crisis of confidence in the scientific community. Wolf shares with us how statistics and scientific replication has lead to a crisis of confidence in scientific research, and what this means for scientists, journalists, and the general public. What is the crisis of confidence and what is the role of replication and statistics in contributing to scientific discourse? Can we ever ‘prove’ anything or should we acknowledge that there is always room for error? How can researchers limit their ‘degrees of freedom’ to make for better science? Is there any reason for optimism or are we doomed? All this and much more in Crisis Alert! Replicability in Science with Dr. Wolf Vanpaemel!