What does it really mean to be “information literate” in a world overflowing with content?

In this episode of Psychology and Stuff, host Alison Jane Martingano sits down with UW–Green Bay Assistant Library Director Renee Ettinger to explore how students—and all of us—can better navigate today’s complex information landscape. Drawing on her work supporting research, teaching, and undergraduate scholarship, Renee explains how to evaluate sources, recognize authority (and false authority), and slow down in a fast-moving digital world. From classroom instruction to conference presentations, their conversation highlights the skills that help turn information into insight—and why those skills matter far beyond the classroom.

What if your home isn’t just where you live—but something that actively shapes who you become?

In this episode of Psychology and Stuff, host Alison Jane Martingano sits down with UW–Green Bay psychology professor and environmental psychologist Dr. Georjeanna Wilson-Doenges to explore the powerful relationship between people and the places they inhabit. Drawing on her background in social ecology, Georjeanna explains how our homes function as dynamic systems—shaped by routines, relationships, and the broader environments around them.

From childhood development and household “chaos” to pandemic-era living and aging in place, they unpack how design, flexibility, and social connection influence well-being. The conversation reveals why a home is never just a physical space—and how small changes can transform how we live in it.

What if your home isn’t just where you live—but something that actively shapes who you become?

In this episode of Psychology and Stuff, host Alison Jane Martingano sits down with UW–Green Bay psychology professor and environmental psychologist Dr. Georjeanna Wilson-Doenges to explore the powerful relationship between people and the places they inhabit. Drawing on her background in social ecology, Georjeanna explains how our homes function as dynamic systems—shaped by routines, relationships, and the broader environments around them.

From childhood development and household “chaos” to pandemic-era living and aging in place, they unpack how design, flexibility, and social connection influence well-being. The conversation reveals why a home is never just a physical space—and how small changes can transform how we live in it.

In this episode of Psychology and Stuff, Dr. Alison Jane Martingano sits down with Dr. Jason Harman, an Associate Professor of Psychology and Human Factors at Michigan Technological University, to explore how we learn from experience when making decisions.

They discuss how memory, frequency, and feedback shape our choices over time, why early experiences can have such a lasting impact, and how rare events can sometimes mislead our decision-making. The conversation also dives into real-world applications, including police training, risk-taking, and how people make split-second judgments.

Dr. Harman also shares his work on gamified personality assessment, using interactive storytelling and game-like environments to measure behavior in new ways.

Listen in to learn more about how our past experiences shape the decisions we make—and why changing those patterns can be harder than we think.

After a stroke and kidney failure diagnosis, Drew Grove decided it was time to change his life. Returning to UW-Green Bay at 38, he pursued a psychology degree while balancing family, health challenges, and a drive to prove to himself he could succeed. Drew joins the podcast to talk about second chances, mentorship, burnout, and the powerful “aha” moments that come with learning—and helping others learn.

What if the key to finding a healthy relationship isn’t swiping more — but blocking more?

In this episode of Psychology and Stuff, host Alison Jane Martingano sits down with UW–Green Bay Professor and Associate Dean Jennie Young, creator of the viral Burned Haystack Dating Method. What began as a personal solution to dating app burnout has grown into a global feminist movement and a community of more than 250,000 women.

Jennie explains how she applied her academic expertise in rhetoric and critical discourse analysis to decode dating profiles and reveal what people unintentionally expose through their language. From “disciplinary directives” to subtle red flags, she breaks down how to identify toxic patterns fast, and why “block to burn” is the core strategy.

Pre-order Jennie's book: https://www.jennieyoung.com/burn-the-haystack-book

In this episode, host Dr. Alison Jane Martingano sat down with Dr. Paul Belanger, faculty member in Applied Writing and English and Project Manager of UW-Green Bay’s AI Think Tank, to explore the promises, fears, and ethical tensions surrounding generative AI.

Martingano and Belanger discuss whether today’s large language models are truly replicating human thought or merely mimicking patterns, why “friction” may be essential to keeping our agency intact, and how students can use AI as a sparring partner rather than a substitute thinker. From creative writing workshops to faculty assessment anxiety, their conversation tackles the real challenges instructors are facing — and why abandoning the technology altogether may not be the answer.

In this episode of Psychology and Stuff, host Alison Jane Martingano sits down with Dr. Illene Cupit to explore the psychology of childhood grief and the healing power of community. Dr. Cupit shares the story behind Camp Lloyd, a bereavement camp for children who have lost a loved one, and reflects on two decades of helping kids—and UW-Green Bay students—find connection, meaning, and joy after loss.

Why does one negative moment stick with us while positive experiences fade so quickly?

In this episode of Psychology and Stuff, host Alison Jane Martingano welcomes back Dr. Ryan Martin – psychology professor, author of Emotion Hacks, and dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at UW-Green Bay – to explore new research showing how negative emotions linger longer than positive ones, especially for people who experience anxiety.

Ryan (also known as "The Anger Professor") breaks down the science behind emotional habituation, explains why our brains are wired to hold on to bad feelings, and discusses how evolution, anxiety, and memory shape our emotional lives. Together, they explore practical ways to manage emotions more intentionally without falling into toxic positivity, and how to make positive moments last longer.

In this episode of Psychology and Stuff, host Allison Jane Martingano sits down with UW–Green Bay psychology professors Dr. Jason Cowell and Dr. Todd Hillhouse for a fascinating deep dive into what we can—and can’t—learn from human and animal brains. Dr. Cowell discusses his work using EEG to study moral development, empathy, and self-regulation in both children and adults, including the practical challenges of recruiting families and gathering clean neural data from kids. Dr. Hillhouse shares how his behavioral neuroscience lab uses mice to investigate pain, addiction, and depression, highlighting both the ethical responsibilities and scientific advantages of animal research.