Blog | The Psych Files

Episode 90: The Learning Styles Myth: An Interview with Daniel Willingham

Michael
March 29, 2009
38 Comments

Guess what? There’s no such thing as learning style (the theory that each of us has a preferred way to learn new ideas. There are many supposed kinds of learning styles, such as a visual learning style, an auditory style, kinesthetic, etc.). Don’t believe it? Neither did I at first. I was sure for a long time that I personally had a visual learning style. Now I’m not so sure anymore. Listen to this interview with professor and author Daniel Willingham as he and I discuss the topic of learning styles.

Episode 89: Don’t Touch That Dial! Why You Should Love Commercials

Michael
March 15, 2009
2 Comments

Watching commercials actually increases your enjoyment of the show. Do you believe it? Did you, like myself, pay good money on a Tivo or video digital recorder just so you could avoid commercials? Well, before you skip passed those commercials check out this episode of The Psych Files.

Episode 88: Sexual Harassment: Who is Most Likely to be a Victim?

Michael
March 6, 2009
2 Comments

Who is most likely to be a victim of sexual harassment? Is it the attractive female secretary? The attractive female employee by a man who is higher up in the organizational hierarchy? These are the stereotypes that many people hold but there may be qualities that some women have that make some men uncomfortable and this may result in sexual harassment.

Episode 87: Manhood: Are You A “Real Man”?

Michael
February 27, 2009
8 Comments

Why does it seem that males in many cultures have to “prove” their manhood? Do women have to prove their womanhood? Why is this and what happens when men feel like they are less than a man? In this review of a recent research article entitled, “Precarious Manhood”, we take a look at this intriguing issue.

Episode 86 (video): Educational Games

Michael
February 26, 2009
6 Comments

Can games really be educational? They are certainly addictive and engaging. Can we harness this aspect of games and use it to learn? In this video I show you why I believe the answer is yes. Let’s talk about what really good teaching is and what really good games are like. Then I take you on a brief tour of what I believe are some of the best examples of great educational games.

Episode 85: How to Make Learning Fun Again – Constructivism and Democratic Schools – Part 2

Michael
January 30, 2009
1 Comment

What the heck is constructivism anyway? In this episode I explore that topic with Dr. Eugene Geist. We also explore what some would consider a radical concept in education: democratic schools. What would happen if we let children decide how they wanted to learn? Complete Chaos? Or an exciting new way to get students involved in and taking responsibility for learning?

Episode 84: How To Make Learning Fun Again Part 1 – Piaget

Michael
January 19, 2009
13 Comments

Can we make learning as fun as it was when you were a child? We can. Listen to Dr. Eugene Geist as he explains the cognitive development theories of Jean Piaget and you'll understand why we are all geared to learn.

Episode 83: New Year’s Resolutions to Lose Weight: Why So Hard To Keep?

Michael
January 13, 2009
15 Comments

Why is it so hard to keep our new year’s resolutions to lose weight? I explore this question in this episode in which I also take a tour through the various schools of psychology and show how each one would explain why you have trouble keeping your promise to yourself to lose weight (or stay out of debt, or stop smoking).

Episode 82: What’s the Best Personality to be a Waiter?

Michael
December 28, 2008
2 Comments

What kind of personality do you need to be a good waiter/waitress? In a previous episode we talked about the tactics: touching customers, drawing smiley faces on bills, crouching down to the customer’s level, etc. But these strategies don’t always work, so what kind of person do you need to be?

Episode 81: Talking (and not Talking) in Psychotherapy – Part 2

Michael
December 7, 2008
1 Comment

Are you interested in play therapy or therapy with children and adolescents? Do you have a child in therapy and you wonder how playing with toys is going to possibly help you child? Learn more about therapy with children and adolescents in this episode of The Psych Files.