Brain Buzz

We are finally releasing a long awaited episode with Dr. Jason Winters! If you are interested in what it looks like to be in sex therapy, how sex therapists interact with their clients, how Jason treats and assesses sex addiction, or any other sex therapy related inquiries… you found the perfect episode. The episode starts with Dr. Jason discussing how he became a sex therapist (discussing his work in pedophilia, sex addiction, and other interesting study designs including penile plethysmography work), we then discuss sex/porn addiction, and then explore what it is like to be in a sex therapy session. Dr. Jason Winters is a registered psychologist and sex therapist. https://www.drjasonwinters.com/ Brain Buzz will be going on a break for the remainder of the year and hope to start up their next season sometime early in the New Year! Have a happy holidays, much love from the Brain Buzz team!

On today's episode we are joined by Dr. Ashley Randall from Arizona State University and Gabe Leon (A PhD student from The University of Southern California). Ashley and Gabe are two researchers that recently published a paper examining how couples cope with COVID-19. In their paper they examined couples across a whopping 27 different countries to see how what impact COVID 19 has had on the way couples cope with the stress of the global pandemic. Make sure to check this episode out for tons of information on how stress and coping researchers examine such a massive sample and to learn more about dyadic coping research! Link to their newly published paper: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02654075211034236

Dive into the grey areas of global development and youth peacebuilding with our long awaited guest, Alina Dixon. Alina is a PhD student at Queens University, in Kingston, Ontario. She is interested in troubling the western, liberal traditions of the dominant peacebuilding lexicon by examining how peacebuilding knowledge is constructed and maintained, and what the implications of this are for youth-led, everyday peace efforts. We talk about her new work on how the show “Derry Girls” depicts youth peacebuilding in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. We explore what youth peacebuilding looks like now and what global development research aims to uncover. Want to connect with our guest? She is on Twitter @AlinaDixon and can be contacted via her Queen's profile: https://www.queensu.ca/devs/graduate-program/student-profiles

Do single people really have it worse than couples??? Dr. Yuthika Girme joins Brain Buzz Podcast to talk about her work on Singlehood! Do people in relationship have better mental and physical health than single people? How many single people want to be single vs. want to be in relationships? We also talk about the unique gender differences that single people experience (Men are treated like sexy, eligible bachelors while women are often treated like they are running out of time). If you are currently single and interested in hearing what research says about singles or want to reminisce about your single days… this episode is for you! You can follow Yuthika on twitter: @YuthikaGirme or check her website out at: https://www.sfu.ca/psychology/about/people/profiles/ygirme.html

Episode 76 has Dr. Eric Helms, host of Iron Culture, and research fellow for AUT at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand talks all things POWERlifting and bodybuilding! Eric fills us in on how what the differences are between powerlifting and bodybuilding. Today's episodes includes conversation on how traditional strength sports came to be and how competitive bodybuilding grew out of circus acts and expos. Why is it important to consume fats and carbs? Why are we so obsessed with protein? How can bodybuilding and powerlifting research improve how you workout and train, even if you're just interested in reducing a little bit of belly fat or trying to be healthier in general. What do physical fitness reseachers do to measure fitness? Eric explains the work he does measuring professional and aspiring athletes. Lastly, we discuss the murky online fitness industry and what an obtainable body type really should look like!If you are a fan of Eric's scientific approach to powerlifting and bodybuilding you need to check out his podcast: Iron Culture for more: https://ironculture.libsyn.com/

Where were you from 4pm-10pm last Tuesday? Who did you speak with or see? Can anyone corroborate your whereabouts? True crime enthusiasts, science lovers, and crime psychology fans rejoice! Dr. Kureva Matuku is going to explain how to make the perfect alibi. On episode 75 we figure out what issues are related to providing ACCURATE alibis, the fallibility of our memory and recollections, and what you can do to improve your alibis if you are ever required to provide one. Dr. Matuku also explains how eye witness lineups and photo spreads work, how reliable eye witness testimonies are, and the impact that alibis and eye witness testimonies have on judicial outcomes. If you like this episode and want to check out more of our catalogue of over 75 episodes go to www.brainbuzzpod.com, Brain Buzz on Spotify or Apple Podcast.Don't want to miss any new psychology/science content from us? Follow us on Twitter/instagram @BrainBuzzPod to stay in the loop!

Shownotes:Check out Petra's open access paper on how to reduce stigma:Gronholm, P. C., Nosé, M., Van Brakel, W. H., Eaton, J., Ebenso, B., Fiekert, K., ... & Thornicroft, G. (2021). Reducing stigma and discrimination associated with COVID-19: early stage pandemic rapid review and practical recommendations. Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 1-23.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7884669/ Want to learn more about what Petra's group does on mental health stigma? Check out www.Indigo-group.org for more information on how to access stigma, information on low-income country data, etc.Follow Petra on Twitter @GronholmPetra

If you enjoyed the content of today's show, make sure to pick up John's new book, “The Life Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit” wherever you buy books!

Follow Dr. David Shiffman on Twitter @whysharksmatter and check out his “Save our seas” project here: https://saveourseas.com/project-leader/david-shiffman/.For David's open access research on marine conservation and other topics visit: davidshiffmancv.com

For more information Sir Graham Thornicoft's research: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/graham-thornicroft Make sure to follow us on Twitter and instagram @brainbuzzpod and to follow us on Spotify/Apple podcast to get updates when new episodes are published! Cheers :)

Do you or one of your good friends strongly believe the earth is flat? Do you believe the COVID-19 vaccines are tracking us? Are all politicians really lizard people? Our guests: Ricky Green and Mikey Biddlestone (two PhD students from the University of Kent) are researchers that investigate why people are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories. We discuss how attachment theory can predict the likelihood of you believing in conspiracy theories. We explain what collective narcissism is and why it is seen more often among conspiracy believers. Are there any benefits to believing in conspiracy theories? What are some of the sneaky ways that conspiracy theories can convince us they are true? All this and more in this weeks episode!

Dr. Edward Slingerland from the University of British Columbia joins Brain Buzz to talk discuss his new book DRUNK! We talk about how alcohol and drinking may have shaped our modern civilization, impacted how we interact as humans, and why alcohol is so important to humans. What benefits does drinking really provide us as humans? Why would we continue to drink considering the negative consequences associated it with? Should evolution not have weeded this behaviour out already? What barriers does drinking cause in our society today? All this and more on today's episode! Make sure to follow us our Twitter and instagram @brainbuzzpod and to follow us on Spotify/Apple podcast to get updates when new episodes are published! Cheers :)

Grab a cup of coffee, take a cold shower, do what you have to do to wake yourself up! We got Dr. Lauren Whitehurst in the studio to talk about her work on sleep and cognition. Are you curious about what the world record for hours spent awake is? Have you ever wondered what sleep stages we go through every night and what each stage does? What exactly are microsleeps? We discuss these topics as well as Dr. Lauren Whitehurst’s research on how drugs, stress, and discrimination can significantly perturb your sleep!

Tiana Sharifi is the founder and owner of Sexual Exploitation Education, a British Columbia based organization dedicated to raising awareness and addressing service gaps around sexual exploitation in Canada. Tiana joins Kyle and Drake to discuss the prevalence and severity of sexual exploitation and human trafficking in Canada today. What constitutes sexual exploitation and human trafficking? Where is human trafficking most likely to occur and is it a problem in Canada that is worth addressing? What resources/strategies are there to combat or respond to human trafficking and sexual exploitation? Make sure to check out this episode to learn all this and more!

Gabe Brooks, a returning guest from the University of British Columbia joins us to talk about the phenomenon of online gaming “Lootboxes” and the possible implications they have on imbuing problematic gambling behaviours in children and adult gamers! Why do people spend money on online lootboxes and what populations are at risk? We also discuss the future of gaming and microtransactions. If you are interested in how gambling may be related to online gaming for you, your friends, or children… check out this episode now!

On today’s episode we are joined by Tessa Charlesworth, researcher at Harvard University, to talk about implicit attitudes and biases over time. Tessa shares with us how people change their minds in response to new experiences across the lifespan and how social attitudes and stereotypes shift over time in response to societal events. How do you measure implicit attitudes in historical records? Can we predict future levels of implicit biases? Are all biases harmful? All this and much more in Implicit Attitudes and Biases with Tessa Charlesworth!

On today’s episode we are joined by Ben Davis-Purcell, researcher at Carleton University, to talk about the study of the smallest things in the universe. Ben shares with us why studying particle physics is important to understanding the natural world and how particles interact to create everything in the known universe. How many fundamental particles are there and what do they do? What are the four fundamental forces? What does the Large Hadron Collider do and what kind of research is being conducted at it? All this and much more in Particle Physics with Ben Davis-Purcell!

On today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Gwendolyn Seidman, Associate Professor of Psychology and Department Chair at Albright College, to talk about presentations of relationships on social media and how the posts are related to relationship satisfaction. Gwen shares with us how patterns of social media use, and how the relationship is presented, can be indicative of the relationship satisfaction, long-term prognosis, and desire to ward off or invite potential suitors. What is the investment model of commitment and how is it reflected in social media use? Does the social media platform change the motive of the post? Why are some posts ‘gross’? All this and much more in Online Presentations of Relationships with Dr. Gwendolyn Seidman!

On today’s episode we sit down to chat with Ryan Dwyer, graduate student in the Social Cognition and Emotion Lab at the University of British Columbia, to talk about phones and happiness. Ryan shares with us how phone use impacts our social and emotional relationships, and why it might be important to put your phone down. How do you define happiness? How are phones affecting our happiness? What is Phubbing? All this and much more in Phubbing with Ryan Dwyer!Today we are re-releasing a classic episode from Season 1 with Ryan Dwyer! Like and subscribe to us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts/Facebook. Enjoy the episode!

On today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Chris Barry, Professor of Psychology at Washington State University, to chat about how adolescent’s self-perceptions impact their social media use. Chris shares how selfies and “posies” are related to an individual’s self-esteem and narcissism, and what that means for how they interact with social media. We talk about his work on the fear of missing out and how social media contributes to it in the digital age. What is a “posie”? How do others perceive your selfies and what can you do to make others like your pictures more? Can restricting social media access help individuals feel better about its use? All this and much more in Selfies and Posies with Dr. Chris Barry!

On today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Gary Lewandowski, Professor of Psychology at Monmouth University, to chat about his new book Stronger than You Think: The 10 Blind Spots That Undermine Your Relationship... and How to See Past Them. Gary shares with us some of the signs of healthy relationships, how to strengthen them, and some of the best ways to maintain them. What is optimal distinctiveness and how can couples maintain the ‘you, me, and we’ of their personalities? What is the Michelangelo Effect and what does it reveal about your relationship? Why should you give a CRAPO and why might this boost your relationship? How much sex do partners need to be happy? All this and much more in Stronger than You Think with Dr. Gary Lewandowski!

Today we are joined by Dr. Anna Radke, Director of the Reward and Addictive Disorders Lab and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Miami University, to talk about sex differences in alcohol consumption. Anna shares with us how they use mice to understand how males and females differ in alcohol consumption behaviour and what that might mean for humans. Why does sex matter in alcohol consumption and why do we need to study sex differences? How much alcohol does a mouse drink if given the chance? What does a mouse bar look like? All this and much more in Sex Differences in Alcohol Consumption with Dr. Anna Radke!

Today we are joined by Dr. Seth Pollak, Letters and Science Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Professor of Anthropology, Pediatrics, Neuroscience, and Public Affairs, and Laboratory Director of the Child Emotion Lab at the Waisman Centre at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, to talk about emotions. Seth shares with us how humans develop the ability to display and read emotions, and how important context is when interpreting emotions. Are reading and displaying emotions innate skills that we are born with or do we learn them through social experience? Is there a critical period during which infants and children need to experience social and emotional input or is reading emotion a lifelong learning endeavour? Does having adverse early life experiences prevent the development of emotion regulation and emotion learning? All this and much more in Emotional Development with Dr. Seth Pollak!

In today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Kaitlyn Goldsmith, Registered Psychologist and Lecturer at the University of British Columbia, to talk about long distance relationships. Kaitlyn shares with us why sexual satisfaction and well-being, including body image, mindfulness, and sexual communication, makes for lasting and meaningful romantic relationships when physically separated from your partner. How do partners deal with sexuality and intimacy during long distance relationships? What are the most important questions that couples need to answer to make their long distance relationship work? What is best: spontaneous or scheduled sex? All this and much more in Long Distance Relationships with Dr. Kaitlyn Goldsmith!

In today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Gary Lewandowski, Professor of Psychology at Monmouth University, to talk about relationships, break-ups, and self-expansion. Gary explains why the ending of a relationship is not always a bad thing and instead can lead to self-growth and rediscover of the self. How long does it take to get over a breakup? Why should being selfish be considered a good thing in a relationship? What are ‘expander’ and ‘conserver’ personality traits in relationships, and what combination leads to the most successful relationships? All this and much more in Breaking Up with Dr. Gary Lewandowski!

In today’s episode we are joined by A Month in Neurodegenerative Disease Research’s Sarah Louadi and Elyn Rowe to talk about neurodegenerative research, Alzheimer’s Disease, and AMiNDR Podcast. Elyn shares with us how heart health is related to Alzheimer’s Disease, and how good cholesterol might help identify, prevent, and treat Alzheimer’s Disease. Sarah explains how trying to keep up with the incredible volume of literature on neurodegenerative research inspired the creation of AMiNDR podcast. How do you diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease? What is Apolipoprotein E? How can we keep up with the onslaught of new and exciting literature? All this and much more in A Month in Neurodegenerative Disease Research with Sarah Louadi and Elyn Rowe!Listen to Part Two of this episode, in which Drake and Kyle join Sarah and Elyn to talk about Brain Buzz Podcast, at AMiNDR.com!

In Superbug Slayer we are joined by Associate Dean of Global Health Sciences and Harold Simon Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Dr. Steffanie Strathdee, to chat about superbugs and how to treat them. In this episode Steffanie shares with us the incredible story of how she helped resurrect a little known, but highly effective, treatment for antibiotic resistance bacteria and, in the process, saved her husband’s life. What is phage therapy and how can it reduce our reliance on antibiotics? Which infections can be treated with phage therapy? What can you do to prevent superbugs becoming the next global health crisis? All this and much more in Superbug Slayer with Dr. Steffanie Strathdee!

On today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Jiaying Zhao from the University of British Columbia to talk about how direct cash transfers can reduce homelessness and improve wellbeing in people experiencing homelessness. Jiaying shares with us how providing homeless people with $7500 aided them in finding employment, improved their cognitive function, alleviated concerns of food security, and enabled these individuals to find stable housing solutions. How did individuals spend the money they received? How quickly did the participants find housing? How much would direct cash transfers save governments and funding agencies? All this and much more in Reducing Homelessness with Direct Cash Transfers with Dr. Jiaying Zhao!

In Episode Three of Season Four we are joined by Dr. Alyssa Croft from the University of Arizona to chat about gender roles and social identities. Alyssa shares with us how asymmetrically changing gender roles have broad implications for gender equality. How are gender roles changing? What is the ‘second shift’ and why are gender stereotypes still common when it comes to the division of domestic labour? Have we achieved gender equality? All this and much more in Gender and Social Roles with Dr. Alyssa Croft!

Welcome to Season Four! In Part II, Kyle revisits Episode Two of Season One to provide an update on his research.

Welcome to Season Four! In Part I, Drake provides an update on his research since that very first episode of Brain Buzz.

In the final instalment of Season Three we are joined by Alex Missick from the University of British Columbia’s School of Journalism for a very special episode. Alex turns the tables on your hosts and has them sharing the origin story of Brain Buzz as well as how creating, producing, and publishing the podcast has changed their perspective on research and academia. Kyle and Drake acknowledge how the encouragement and support of many, including UBC’s Graduate Student Career Activation Project, has contributed to their career development and commitment to science communication. Join them in A Year in Review with Alex Missick!

In Episode Fifteen of Season Three we are joined by Dr. Ted Beauchaine from The Ohio State University to talk about hyperactivity and impulsivity in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Ted shares with us the neural underpinnings of and development of behavioral impulsivity, emotion dysregulation, and intentional self-injury in children, adolescents, and adults. What are the differences in diagnosis rates between boys and girls? Are the trajectories similar for boys and girls who are diagnosed with ADHD? What interventions are available to help individuals with ADHD? All this and much more in Hyperactivity and Impulsivity in ADHD with Dr. Ted Beauchaine!

In Episode Fourteen of Season Three we are joined by Dr. Eric Landrum from Boise State University and inaugural Co-Editor of APA’s journal Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology to talk about teaching, the role of educators in preparing students for life after graduation, and the value of a degree in psychology. In this wide ranging episode, Eric shares with us how educators can assist students in developing skills in the classroom to be successful in the workforce after graduating with a degree in psychology. What is ‘meaningful assessment’ and why is it important for students and instructors? How can educators help students identify the skills they learned in the classroom and market those skills for jobs outside of academia? What percentage of psychology graduates pursue further education in psychology? All this and much more in After the Psychology Degree with Dr. Eric Landrum!

In Episode Thirteen of Season Three we are joined by Dr. Ashley Randall and Kai Kline from Arizona State University’s Couples Coping with Stress Lab to talk about relationships and stress. Ashley shares with us how stress impacts our romantic relationships and how our romantic partnerships can help alleviate feelings of stress. We learn how three dimensions of stress, the locus, severity, and acuity, play critical roles in the ability of romantic partnership’s ability to cope with the stress. Kai explains how positive coping behaviours, such as empathy, problem-solving, and delegated coping, lead to increased relationship satisfaction and more displays of affection, like cuddling, hugging, and kissing. How do couples regulate stress in a relationship? What are the differences between positive and negative nonverbal coping behaviours? How do marginalized sexually diverse romantic partnerships cope with stress, and what are the implications for relationship satisfaction? All this and much more in Couples Coping with Stress with Dr. Ashley Randall and Kai Kline!

In Episode Twelve of Season Three we are joined by Todd Kamensek from the Neuroscience of Vision and Action Laboratory at the University of British Columbia to chat about how social motivation influences facial perception abilities in adults with autism. Todd shares with us how repeated exposure to social stimuli increases our expertise at being able to identify social cues, and how differences in social motivation for individuals with autism might be diminishing the amount of experience they are getting and therefore the expertise gained. We learn how, for neurotypical adults, there is no relationship between an individual’s ability to identify faces or facial expressions but, in those with autism, these processes are related. How does experience alter perception? What is prosopagnosia and what does it tell us about how the brain processes faces? What is a face diet? All this and much more in Facial Perception in Adults with Autism with Todd Kamensek!

In Episode Eleven of Season Three we are joined by Dr. Alexandra Crosswell from the Center for Health and Community in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco to discuss how the mind and body are connected and how that connection influences our wellbeing. Alexandra shares with us how stress influences our biological functioning and why stress has consequences for physiological and psychological health. How do scientists define stress? How does exposure to and perception of stress interact to create toxic stress? What is stress resilience and how can you boost it? All this and much more in Stressed Out with Dr. Alexandra Crosswell!

In Episode Ten of Season Three we are joined by Dr. Jordan Axt, director of the McGill Intergroup Cognition Lab to talk about the application of social cognitive processes in an intergroup context. Jordan shares with us how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are shaped by the distinction between “us” and “them,” and how these are manifest implicitly and explicitly. What are implicit and explicit biases and how do they differ? How do scientists measure implicit and explicit bias? What does the implicit and explicit bias look like outside of the laboratory and how are physically attractive individuals disproportionally benefited by bias? All this and much more in Implicit and Explicit Biases with Dr. Jordan Axt!ReferencesAxt, J. R., Nguyen, H., & Nosek, B. A. (2018). The judgment bias task: A flexible method for assessing individual differences in social judgment biases. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 337-355. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2018.02.011Axt, J. R., Casola, G., & Nosek, B. A. (2019). Reducing social judgment biases may require identifying the potential source of bias. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(8), 1232-1251. doi:10.1177/0146167218814003Kurdi, B., Seitchik, A. E., Axt, J. R., Carroll, T. J., Karapetyan, A., Kaushik, N., . . . Banaji, M. R. (2019). Relationship between the implicit association test and intergroup behavior: A meta-analysis. The American Psychologist, 74(5), 569-586. doi:10.1037/amp0000364

In Episode Nine of Season Three we are joined by Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk from the Positive Activities in Intimate Relationships Lab at Carleton University to chat about how play and positivity can stave off boredom in long term intimate relationships. Cheryl shares with us how the leisure activities we participate in with our partner can improve relationship satisfaction and how exploration plays a critical role in making activities less boring. What is relational boredom? What can you do to promote play and fun in your intimate relationships? What is the perfect date? All this and much more in Playful Relationships with Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk!

In Episode Eight of Season Three we are joined by Dr. Chris Davis from Carleton University to learn about posttraumatic growth following trauma. Chris shares with us how individuals make cognitive and emotional adaptations that promote personal growth and health following traumatic life events. Plus, we get a sneak peek at new work from Dr. Davis’ lab about the psychological costs of keeping secrets from your partner! What is posttraumatic growth? After an individual experiences a trauma, how does that change their philosophy towards life? Is it possible to elicit posttraumatic growth and should clinicians try? How do expectations about positive life events moderate personal growth outcomes? All this and much more in Posttraumatic Growth and Secrets with Dr. Chris Davis!

In Episode Seven of Season Three we are joined by Dr. Taylor Kohut from the University of Western Ontario to discuss pornography, its consumption, and the consequences of pornography on relationships. Taylor shares with us how pornography makes us feel, think, and behave, and why it is important to understand the intersection between porn users and pornographic preferences. What is pornography? Does pornography consumption lead to sexual violence or other anti-social behaviours? How does consuming pornography effect your sexual satisfaction and how you perceive your partner? All this and much more in Researching Pornography with Dr. Taylor Kohut!ReferencesBalzarini, R. N., Dobson, K., Chin, K., & Campbell, L. (2017). Does exposure to erotica reduce attraction and love for romantic partners in men? independent replications of Kenrick, Gutierres, and Goldberg (1989) study 2. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 70, 191-197. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2016.11.003Bogaert, A. F. (2001). Personality, individual differences, and preferences for the sexual media. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 30(1), 29-53. doi:10.1023/A:1026416723291Kohut, T., Balzarini, R. N., Fisher, W. A., Grubbs, J. B., Campbell, L., & Prause, N. (2019). Surveying pornography use: A shaky science resting on poor measurement foundations. The Journal of Sex Research, , 1-21. doi:10.1080/00224499.2019.1695244

In Episode Six of Season Three we are joined by Kathie Bailey from Queen’s University and Trent University to chat about social problem solving and perspective taking in children with epilepsy. Kathie shares with us how the language ability of children with epilepsy contributes to difficulties in social perspective taking. How does epilepsy impact social cognitive processes and development in children? Why is language ability important in social perspective taking? What interventions are effective for assisting the social problem solving of children with epilepsy? All this and much more in Social Perspective Taking in Children with Epilepsy with Kathie Bailey!

In Episode Five of Season Three we visit with Dr. Zach Walsh from the University of British Columbia Okanagan to chat about how social and cultural attitudes towards cannabis have changed with its legalization. Zach shares with us how research has shaped, and will continue to guide, changing norms and uses of cannabis - particularly surrounding its use medicinally. What barriers exist to understanding the advantages and disadvantages of cannabis medicinally and clinically? How can we integrate cannabis with other psychotherapies in the treatment of anxiety? What does cannabis research in human populations look like? All this and much more in Into the Weeds: Researching Cannabis with Dr. Zach Walsh!

In Episode Four of Season Three we are joined by Dr. Kathleen Gates from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to chat about how each brain is unique and what that means for psychological research. Kathleen shares with us how measuring brain processes over time enables researchers to tease apart differences in psychological functioning and predict future psychological outcomes. How do differences in brain processes explain the uniqueness of human behaviour? If each brain is different, can we build personalized psychological treatments? What does The Lion King have to do with psychological research? All this and much more in The Unique Brain with Dr. Kathleen Gates!

In Episode Three of Season Three we are joined by Dr. Carey Morewedge from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University to chat about bias in decision making. Carey shares with us how biases, such as anchoring or confirmation bias, contribute to decision making and what can be done to mitigate these biases. What happens when biases effect our decision making? Can we be trained to be less susceptible to bias? If so, how long can the effects of debiasing training interventions last for? All this and much more in Debiasing Training with Dr. Carey Morewedge!

In Episode Two of Season Three we are joined by Dr. Liana Machado from the Department of Psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand to chat about the effects of physical activity on cognition. Liana shares with us how exercise impacts brain blood flow and cognitive outcomes across the human life, especially in ageing. How does physical activity improve cognitive performance? What does brain blood flow tell us about how the brain functions? What kind of cognitive functions are benefitted by physical activity? All this and much more in The Brain on Exercise with Dr. Liana Machado!

Drake and Kyle welcome you back to the start of the academic year and introduce the beginning of Season Three!

In Episode 11 we are joined by Dr. Wolf Vanpaemel from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at KU Leuven to discuss the crisis of confidence in the scientific community. Wolf shares with us how statistics and scientific replication has lead to a crisis of confidence in scientific research, and what this means for scientists, journalists, and the general public. What is the crisis of confidence and what is the role of replication and statistics in contributing to scientific discourse? Can we ever ‘prove’ anything or should we acknowledge that there is always room for error? How can researchers limit their ‘degrees of freedom’ to make for better science? Is there any reason for optimism or are we doomed? All this and much more in Crisis Alert! Replicability in Science with Dr. Wolf Vanpaemel!

In Episode Ten of Season Two we are joined by Ellie Gooderham from the Department of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University to chat how cultural changes affect juvenile development and health. Ellie shares with us how the social, cultural, and physical environments affect population stress, and how these periods of stress impacted juvenile development in Portugal from the 8th to 16th centuries. How do cultural shifts affect population health? How do archaeologists determine the age of an artifact? Do all archaeologists get to wear a cool hat and carry a whip? All this and much more in Digging Through the Past: The Archaeology of Culture Change with Ellie Gooderham.