Why We Do What We Do

In 1968, an Iowa teacher named Jane Elliott created a powerful lesson demonstrating the effects of prejudice with a classroom of white children, in an effort to foster empathy that she believed was sorely needed around the world at the height of racist tension. As prejudice evolved in different forms during subsequent decades, she repurposed the lesson as an effective exercise that could be tailored to many different populations, all with the intention of encouraging understanding and unity.

Links for Today:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/introduction-2/

https://youtu.be/PnNQxTZTMtM

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/an-unfinished-crusade-an-interview-with-jane-elliott/

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: The Martian (book and movie; https://www.andyweirauthor.com/books/the-martian-tr, https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/the-martian/)

Shane: Thriftbooks.com (https://www.thriftbooks.com/)
https://repository.wcsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1074&context=ssj

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

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Why we punk rock? Counter-cultures and sub-cultures are a fascinating evolution in the social dynamics of a society when a population reaches a threshold that is no longer unified by a shared set of values. Small cliques and offshoots might work toward something or against something and either way stand apart from the group whence they originated. These occur because cultural norms shift and change over time. They sustain because the group supports the group... until it doesn't. At which point the group either evolves again or disintegrates. What sub-culture or counter-culture do you belong to? Or are you so rebellious that you are a lone wolf?

Links for Today:

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/226971

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1541204004267780

https://repository.wcsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1074&context=ssj

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: Mastermind (game; https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2392/mastermind)

Shane: Spray Paint the Walls - The Story of Black Flag (https://www.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=312)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

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Within certain communities that contain a hierarchal structure, most notably the military, the existence of an authoritative figure has a unique effect on behavior. Some scientists suggest that the coercive effects of following orders shifts the agency of responsibility onto a superior, allowing for a slippery slope of questionable behavior to take place. Many individuals throughout history have pointed to obeying orders as a means for exonerating them of responsibility for anything from robbery to war crimes. The question of where to place blame is an ongoing debate: if one was to investigate the chain of command, would it always shift back all the way to the head honcho only? Does that absolve everyone beneath he or she of any wrongdoing? It may be tough to find a balance of explaining behavior while not condoning it, something behavior analysis has found common ground on. However, the debate still stands: under immense pressure, can a common person or a soldier be expected to make the “right” decision always?

Links for Today:

https://www.apa.org/research/action/order

https://www.khanacademy.org/ela/cc-9th-reading-vocab/x73a76fccbaf2a246:cc-9th-social-psychology/x73a76fccbaf2a246:reading-for-understanding-informational-text/v/milgram-experiment-on-obedience

https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/gi-roundtable-series/pamphlets/em-11-what-shall-be-done-with-the-war-criminals-(1944)/are-superior-orders-a-legitimate-defense

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wsu-sandbox/chapter/conformity-compliance-and-obedience/

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-obedience-2795894

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-nazi-s-defense-of-just-following-orders-plays-out-in-the-mind/

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: Caste: Origins of our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/653196/caste-oprahs-book-club-by-isabel-wilkerson/)

Shane: The Nazi Hunters by Neil Bascomb (http://www.scholastic.ca/books/view/the-nazi-hunters)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

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The human tendency to use language to name things is remarkably important and foundational. While we don't delve into the incredibly deep and nerdy philosophy of naming specifically, we tackle some of the major implications and interesting effects of naming tendencies.

Links for Today:

Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2004). Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination. The American Economic Review, 94(4), 991-1013. Retrieved January 17, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3592802

Jacquet, J. L. and Pauly, D. (2008) Trade secrets: renaming and mislabeling of seafood. Marine Policy 32: 309-318. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308597X07000760

Karaffa, P.T., M.M. Draheim, and Parsons, E.C.M. (2012) What’s in a name? Do species’ names impact student support for conservation? Human Dimensions of Wildlife 17: 308-310. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10871209.2012.676708?journalCode=uhdw20

Rasmussen, G.S.A. (1999) Livestock predation by the painted hunting dog Lycaon pictus in a cattle ranching region of Zimbabwe: a case study. Biological Conservation 88: 133–139. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320798000068?via%3Dihub

Sarasa M., Alasaad S., and Pérez J.M. (2012) Common names of species, the curious case of Capra pyrenaica and the concomitant steps towards the 'wild-to-domestic' transformation of a flagship species and its vernacular names. Biodiversity and Conservation 21:1–12. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-011-0172-3

Scott, C. (2015) Otter social science research: An evaluation of the general public’s knowledge of otter species. (Master’s thesis) George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. Retrieved from digilib.gmu.edu/ xmlui/handle/1920/10282

Wright, A., Veríssimo, D., Pilfold, K., Parsons, E. C. M., Ventre, K., Cousins, J., et al. (2015). Competitive outreach in the 21st Century: why we need conservation marketing. Ocean & Coastal Management 115: 41–48. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964569115001829

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/03/study-finds-seafood-mislabeled-illegal/#:~:text=Sea%20bass%20and%20snapper%20were,were%20marketed%20as%20wild%20caught. (National Geographic article on mislabeling fish)

https://www.anesi.com/presname.htm (US Presidential Candidates with more syllables win elections more often than candidates with fewer syllables)

https://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/07/02/name-changes-ellis-island#:~:text=More%20commonly%2C%20immigrants%20would%20change,for%20a%20number%20of%20reasons.&text=Someone%20might%20change%20their%20name,it%20was%20good%20for%20business (Why immigrants change their names)

https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/century.html (Common US baby names)

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/researchers-new-study-method-catches-resume-bias.aspx (Gender bias in fictitious resumes)

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: Magnet app for Mac (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13846912/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3)

Shane: Wandavision (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13846912/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Yoga is extremely old but likely began in central Asia thousands of years ago. There are certainly health benefits, and possibly psychological benefits. There are also a lot of bonkers claims made by yogis. Listen in and learn all about yoga!.

Links for Today:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/stretching-theory/202002/can-yoga-make-you-smarter

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/the-11-major-types-of-yoga-explained-simply

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/silencing-your-inner-bully/201901/5-ways-yoga-can-benefit-your-mental-health

https://chicagoabatherapy.com/articles/how-can-yoga-be-used-in-pediatric-aba-therapy/

https://www.yogabasics.com/learn/history-of-yoga/#:~:text=The%20beginnings%20of%20Yoga%20were%2Cby%20Brahmans%2C%20the%20Vedic%20priests

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/think-act-be/201906/how-can-yoga-make-your-life-better

https://precisionchi.com/method/

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/yoga-woo/

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: The Host (2006) (movie; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Shane: The Outsider (book by Stephen King; https://stephenking.com/works/novel/outsider.html)
You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

We are not canceled! Or at least we hope not. But this is a discussion about cancel culture. Where it comes from, why we do, and what purpose does it serve? Most people take a firm stance for or against "canceling" someone. Instead, we are bringing a nuanced discussion to this newly re-relevant topic.

Links for Today:

https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/12/30/20879720/what-is-cancel-culture-explained-history-debate

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211695820300647

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: 1917 (movie; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8579674/)

Shane: Soul (movie; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2948372/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Another one of those pesky human biases. Or maybe westerner biases. Fundamental attribution error is the tendency to interpret our own behavior as being due to our circumstances and others' behavior as due to internal factors. Some researchers believe this effect might be less robust than it seems. Either way, a lot of fun and jokes to be had for what there is to learn.


Links for Today:

https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/video/fundamental-attribution-error#:~:text=fundamental%20attribution%20error.-,Fundamental%20attribution%20error%20describes%20how%2C%20when%20judging%20others'%20actions%2C,circumstances%20in%20which%20they%20acted.&text=Another%20implication%20of%20the%20fundamental,if%20we%20are%20not%20careful.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-men-dont-write-blogs/201406/why-we-dont-give-each-other-break

http://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/15341_Readings/Social_Cognition/Ross_Intuitive_Psychologist_in_Adv_Experiment_Soc_Psych_vol10_p173.pdf

https://www.simplypsychology.org/fundamental-attribution.html

Jones, E. E., & Harris, V. A. (1967). The attribution of attitudes. Journal of experimental social psychology, 3(1), 1-24.

Miller, J. G. (1984). Culture and the development of everyday social explanation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46(5), 961–978.

McPherson, M. B., & Young, S. L. (2004). What Students Think When Teachers Get Upset: Fundamental Attribution Error and Student-Generated Reasons for Teacher Anger. Communication Quarterly, 52(4), 357-369. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01463370409370206

Epstein, S., & Teraspulsky, L. (1986). Perception of cross-situational consistency. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50(6), 1152–1160. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.50.6.1152

Malle, B. F. (2006). The actor-observer asymmetry in attribution: A (surprising) meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(6), 895–919. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.895

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: The Way of Kings (book by Brandon Sanderson) https://www.brandonsanderson.com/the-stormlight-archive-series/#THEWAYOFKINGS

Shane: Do something creative with creative people

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

A behavior analyst (ABA) and an occupational therapist shared a love of precision teaching. They decided to collaborate to use the benefits of both approaches to help their own children and the children they serve. Two heads are better than one!


Links for Today:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-aba-and-ot-podcast/id1538336498 (iTunes link to their podcast)

https://www.facebook.com/abaandotpodcast/ (their Facebook page)

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Check out their podcast and subscribe if you like what you hear!

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Common sense is what you don't have to think about. It's just intuitively right. Another name for our base reaction to things without thinking first is human bias, logical fallacy, and wrongheadedness. Common sense is overated. Next time you think something is common sense, you might want to stop and think again!

Links for Today:

.

https://www.cyc.com/

https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2020/11/248194-seeking-artificial-common-sense/fulltext (Chappell, Sophie-Grace, "Plato on Knowledge in the Theaetetus", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2019 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.)

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/59/59-h/59-h.htm#part1)

https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2020/11/248194-seeking-artificial-common-sense/fulltext

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201107/common-sense-is-neither-common-nor-sense (Descartes, René, 1596-1650. (1986). Discourse on method. New York : London :Macmillan ; Collier Macmillan)

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201107/common-sense-is-neither-common-nor-sense (Psychology Today Blog: Common Sense is Neither Common nor Sense)

https://skeptoid.com/blog/2015/05/01/joint-pain-part-3 (The link was broken so I tried to find the original source, it was somewhere on this website)

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: Impossible Burger (https://impossiblefoods.com/)

Shane: Dave Grohl

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

When was the last time you thought about money? Chances are pretty recently, if not right before you read this. If you weren’t thinking about money specifically, you were likely thinking about something by which money would access. It consumes us, for better or for worse. Chasing that paper seems to occupy much of our day, whatever our profession. Endless debate persists about who should earn what and for what work, but the foundations of money as a reinforcer follow simple behavioral principles. From there, we can see why money consumes the priorities of some people and not others, and under what circumstances some are more likely to be financially responsible, saving for investing their income. Humans exist in a complicated interconnected world, where money has emerged as one of the few systems that we agree on globally. Without it, we may never have gotten to where we are now.

Links for Today:

https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0062316117/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=sapiens&qid=1605981071&sr=8-1 (Sapiens book by Yuval Noah Harari)

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2019). Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd Edition). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/think-act-be/201907/what-your-relationship-money-reveals-about-you

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/15/the-no-1-reason-why-americans-struggle-to-save-money-isnt-debt.html

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C2019628%2C00.html (News article on annual salary and happiness)

https://abcnews.go.com/US/10-americans-struggle-cover-400-emergency-expense-federal/story?id=63253846#:~:text=Almost%2040%25%20of%20American%20adults%2Ca%20Federal%20Reserve%20survey%20finds.&text=However%2C%2017%25%20of%20adults%20in%2Cof%20their%20current%20month's%20bills.

https://g.co/kgs/ULJia3

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: Have a safe new years! Terminator Dark Fate (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6450804/)

Shane: Going outside

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast