Pre-Occupied

Our intrepid hosts venture out of academia and into business to learn from Dr. Kizzy Parks, founder and CEO of several successful businesses and Ph.D. industrial organizational psychologist. Listeners will enjoy Dr. Parks's exciting life journey, inspiring perspective on life, and practical advice for anyone who wants to make a living by starting a business.

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In this episode, Maddy and Zenon interview Dr. Francine Dolins, a professor of comparative psychology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Dr. Dolins shared experiences with us that ranged from pursuing an education in England to following lemurs through the jungles of Madagascar. We also discuss how Dr. Dolins's research on spatial cognition can relate to humans with spatial reasoning impairments. In our introduction, we discuss how cognition depends on our bodies, the various primate species that Dr. Dolins works with, and more! 

Embodied cognition article: https://bit.ly/3e1K3GS

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The hosts set the stage for upcoming episodes with a bit of background information about their own inclinations toward psychology, their friendship, and the podcast's conception. 

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We each read and discussed a research article to review some recent research. Maddy talked about a study reviewing the perception of dark humor during and after the Hurricane Sandy crisis, and Zenon discussed an article about babies' moral expectations when watching bear puppets stealing from one another.

Maddy read McGraw et al. (2014): https://doi.org/f575tt

Zenon read Stavans and Baillargeon (2019): https://doi.org/fqsb

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In Episode 18, Zenon and Maddy interview Dr. Myles Durkee, a warm, insightful professor at the University of Michigan and expert on the psychology of racial identity. Dr. Durkee shares his findings from his studies about "acting White" – what it looks like, why it happens, and its consequences. We also talk about what a more equitable field of psychology would look like and the role of psychology in social justice. Qualitative methods, structures of the peer-review process, and historical cases addressing racial inequality are also discussed.

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Dr. Marie Waung, an engaging, funny, and deeply knowledgeable professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, returns to the show to share her experiences in I/O scholarship and academia. We discuss personality in the workplace, the science of resume building, balancing an academic career, and loving what you do. The Holland Code Assessment and a brief history of I/O psychology are also discussed.

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Maddy and Zenon come together over Zoom with Mrs. Krista Siefert to discuss the pathogen that's swept both the nation and the world over the past six months. 

The novel coronavirus has affected not only the physiological health of millions of people, but also the psychological health of everyone in a country that's experiencing lockdowns or economic hardship. Mrs. Siefert tells us what it's like working in the school system during this time, working to address students who need additional support while everyone is staying home and staying safe. We also reviewed psychological research relevant to pandemics and isolation to bring some insight into the behavioral phenomena that occur during pandemics and how best to stay connected with others.

Here are links to the articles we discussed in the episode:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200401-covid-19-how-fear-of-coronavirus-is-changing-our-psychology

https://heterodoxacademy.org/social-science-liberals-conservatives-covid-19/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/29/sunday-review/zoom-video-conference.html

https://theconversation.com/facing-the-coronavirus-crisis-together-could-lead-to-positive-psychological-growth-134289

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Maddy and Zenon talk to Dr. Sarah Tannenbaum of Harvard Medical School-affiliated Judge Baker Children's Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Tannenbaum gives us keen insight into the world of a child mental health expert. We talk about the doctoral journey, finding your drive, and what it means to be an advocate for mental health. We also discuss a few of the evidence-based practices used to treat children with mental illness at Judge Baker.

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