Most performers “mark” when they’re tired during rehearsals. Are they “not giving it their all” or are they getting quite a benefit from doing this? You’d be surprised at how beneficial marking can be. I talked about the psychology of dance in a previous episode but in this one I review the research on “marking”, a practice which many performers … Read More
220: More Evidence That Animals Think and Feel
In episode 217 I asked you to be frank with yourself: Does your animal really think? It’s easy to believe they do, but if you’re going to study this issue scientifically you have to eliminate our human tendency to anthropomorphize – to want to believe that animal actions are motivated by internal states. Articles Mentioned In This Episode Fruit flies … Read More
Ep 218: Good News for Older Folks
Guess what? There are a good number of positives to growing older. Let’s put aside all the negative stereotypes of older folks and realize that they can demonstrate a surprising level of “coolness” about life. There’s a certain perspective you get when you’re older that’s enviable. Older folks have passed many of life’s challenges and they can look back with … Read More
Ep 217: Let’s Be Honest: Is Your Dog Really Intelligent?
It’s easy to find videos on the web of animals showing what appears to be some pretty smart behavior. But is it really “smarts”? How can you tell? In this episode I’ll point out examples that look like intelligence but probably aren’t – as well as an example of animal behavior that is really hard to dismiss as anything but … Read More
Ep 213: Leveraging Our Natural Curiosity for Learning (and for Blog and Video Clicks)
How do we motivate you to click online? Well, we don’t necessarily have to pay you to get you to do things (extrinsic motivation) because you’re already a curious person. We also don’t necessarily have to find things you’re already interested in (intrinsic motivation) we just have to find things that are naturally interesting to all of us to get … Read More
Ep 212: The Psychology of The Matrix Movie
What are the psychological themes in the movie The Matrix? In this episode I talk about connections between The Matrix and Jung‘s idea of the Collective Unconscious, Joseph Campbell‘s notion of the Hero’s Journey and some recent research that explains why you experience Déjà vu. Also, can you change your whole world by thinking differently about it? Let’s find out … Read More
Ep 203: Psychology of Dance
What are psychologists doing watching dancers? They’re trying to get a better understanding of how a dancer’s emotions affect the way they move. These researchers used some sophisticated equipment – including a motion capture apparatus – to analyze exactly how people moved while they were experiencing different emotional states. I think you’ll find what they did and what they found … Read More
Ep 199: Depth Perception – How Your Brain Sees What’s Not There
How do you create a sense of depth in a flat image? In this video I’ll show you how to use 5 cues of depth perception to turn a flat image into one that looks like it has depth. I’ll be drawing from terms you would learn about in a chapter from a psychology text on Sensation and Perception. We’ll … Read More
Ep 197: Using the Word Guys for Women, Robots Helping the Elderly and Supernormal Foods
Should we stop using “Guys” to refer to groups of women and mixed sex groups? Why do we (particularly men) refer to many objects – like cars and boats – as “she”? Are everyday foods actually “SuperNormal” foods – created to be absolutely irresistible and therefore causing us to be overweight? Is it okay to employ robots to care for … Read More
Ep 195: How To Memorize Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
Do you need to memorize Piaget’s stages for a test? You’ve found what you’re looking for. I’ll use some familiar mnemonics (“1 is a bun”, etc.) and some wacky images to get those stages – and what happens during them – into your mind. You’ll be able to remember when object permanence occurs, when children are capable of assimilation and … Read More
