Psychology I.R.L

Ever wondered why I wear pants?

No?

Huh. Well, that makes two of us.

But, irrespective of my lack of critical thinking, the clothes we choose to wear are a very interesting psychological phenomenon. After all, there are plenty of things I could use to keep my legs warm - stockings, animal pelts, massive socks, aluminium foil and the lower half of a wetsuit all come to mind. Yet I don't.

Why is that?

Today, we're exploring conformity. What it is, the types that can occur, and how it can lead to us doing some very silly things indeed.

*I accidentally call Kelman 'Kerman' at 27:00. I beg you find it in your heart to forgive me.

References:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VYqFd07kbmLqzjU_-9mBVIsJ4xVgS1BZLVJY_gHm1IY/edit?usp=sharing

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What does it take to become a murderer?

Worse, what drives a nation to commit genocide?

Today, we take a casual stroll down the glistening cobblestones that pave the path to damnation. On our way, we're going to explore some of the psychological research into obedience - namely, the Milgram Shock Experiment and the Stanford Prison Experiment. Then, we're going to try our hand at explaining how entire nations of otherwise righteous people can be convinced to remain complicit in atrocities, in the hopes that we can prevent them in the future.

All in 45 minutes (give or take 78 seconds).

References:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fLD9w5oeiPxLZDvadytjLU4HfayyajEaTK37_SFVsY0/edit?usp=sharing

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Alcohol is weird. Like, conceptually. It's very often expensive, bitter and, to put it lightly, poisonous.

And, yet, it plays a fundamental role in many societies. Why?

On this episode of the podcast, we recap the previous three episodes by applying the theories we've discussed so far - operant conditioning, classical conditioning, and social learning theory - to human drinking behaviour. Hopefully, somehow, we can get to the bottom of this.

Corrections:

39:57 - I should clarify: a tendency in online discourse around psychology

40:06 - Yes, I'm aware this was Maslow's whole thing - the point is that theories like his get much less attention in pop psychology than theories focused on maladaptive behaviours.

References:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EwRZKA2TlZW2Fiwl3wecxUAjEZqLWZFnZ8yuuTri8d8/edit?usp=sharing

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Does consuming violent media lead to violent behaviour?

I don't know. But it seems I'm not alone in that - the science on the topic is muddled, with firm convictions and supposed evidence on both sides.

Today, we're going to try to untangle this mess. We'll start by looking at the how we learn behaviours through the powers of observation, then we'll take that knowledge and try to apply it to the topic of violent video games. And then, maybe, we'll find our answer.

Probably.

*34:19 - This was not three months apart. It was seven months apart. Apologies for the mistake.

**Also, I cannot stress enough that this is only a fraction of C. J. Ferguson's output on this topic. Just put his name into Google Scholar. Trust me.

References:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12Yj2pJw_NJ-4ceqvuShx2q9Sbr8jZdx5rXG5xl-WyEE/edit?usp=sharing

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Ever wondered why hearing your phone notification alone gives you a rush of excitement and/or terror? Or why certain people can't stomach certain foods? Or why Snoop Dogg is in every commercial ever, for no discernible reason?

Welcome to Psychology I.R.L! Today's episode - Classical Conditioning, and how it can be used in advertising to convince us to buy products we don't need, and often don't even really want.

Apologies to any Russian listeners I may have at this point in time or any point in the future. Also, yes, I know that 'desireties' isn't a word but language is arbitrary so I can say whatever I want and you can't stop me.

This show is written, performed and produced by me. Music by Matt Ponio.

References:

12:01 - Garcia & Koelling, 1966

26:34 - Solarz, 1960

26:37 - Chen & Bargh, 1999

27:28 - Gorn, 1982

28:32 - Alpert, 2005

28:37 - Pornpitikpan, 2012

28:40 - Vermeulen, 2015

29:51 - Grossman & Til, 1989

33:51 - Riley & Anderson, 2015

34:01 - Till et al., 2008

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Ever caught yourself doomscrolling your life away? Refreshing the YouTube homepage over and over? Habitually checking your phone like a lovesick peasant awaiting a letter from o'er yonder?

Welcome to the first episode of Psychology I.R.L! Today, we're taking a look at the concept of operant conditioning - what it is, how it works, and crucially, how it's being used to keep us glued to our screens, swiping our lives away.

References/Further Reading:

5:26 - Skinner, B. F. (1938). The behavior of organisms: an experimental analysis.

32:49 - Lindström, B., Bellander, M., Schultner, D. T., Chang, A., Tobler, P. N., & Amodio, D. M. (2021). A computational reward learning account of social media engagement. Nature Communications, 12, Article 1802. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19607-x

33:07 - Crone, E. A., & Konijn, E. A. (2018). Media use and brain development during adolescence. Nature Communications, 9, Article 588. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03126-x

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.