Mindwise is the official blog of the Psychology Department at the University of Groningen, Netherlands.
Today's guest is dr. Stephan Schleim, Associate Professor in Theory and History of Psychology at the Heymans Institute. We discussed why students should care about the development of a theory of (psychological) science, the changes in examination methods during the COVID-19 crisis, and how to deal with increasing performance and excellence demands in academia and education. Stephan also shared his personal movie and book suggestions, including his all-time favourite book and Graham Greene's book "A Burn-out case". As Stephan says, "I recently read this novel, because it is used by some scholars as an argument that burn-out always existed. I investigated how much burn-out as it is described in the novel corresponds with our present understanding of the syndrome." Cover Photo: Elsbeth Hoekstra
Our guest in this episode is Bertus Jeronimus, researcher at the Developmental Psychology department at UG. We touch upon the controversies related with defining such an ambiguous construct as personality. Going beyond classical theories in this field, we discuss the dangers of perceiving personality as fixed and the ways in which one may alter their personality and, therefore, well-being.
Our guest in this episode is Prof. Peter de Jonge. We are talking about how his background in Psychiatry shaped his research in developmental psychology, how a renewed understanding of psychological disorders could lead to more effective treatment, and discuss his plans for his new position as the head of research at the Heymans.
"I've got a degree - now what?" Good question - we were also curious and talked to some of our graduates. Join us and listen to their experiences ranging from saving lives in an ambulance to cooking in Paris. Learn about how they resolved the uncertainty of graduating and what they did with their degree.
Link to Florian's blog: https://flowalks.wordpress.com/ In this episode, Yavor meets up with Florian, who is a post-doc at the Psychology Department. He tells us about how it was to graduate three times from the University of Groningen, his PhD work on improving learning methods by using cognitive modelling, and his experiences of the Pacific Crest Trail (a ~4300 km hike through the USA). Link to our blog: https://mindwise-groningen.nl/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindwisegroningen/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mw_groningen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindwise.faces/
In this episode, we virtually visit Brazil, India, and Colombia, through the stories of Lukas, Alex, and Valentin. The holiday season is here! During this time, many of you may travel back home, or to distant (usually hotter) lands to celebrate New Year's eve. Johanna and Mindwise present to you the first ever Adventures podcast - a series of short and casual interviews with psychology students about their experience studying abroad. P.S. all interviews happened in Groningen, the Netherlands. Image source: https://www.flickr.com/people/joe57spike/?rb=1
In this episode we talk to Maarten Derksen about social constructionism, bringing arguments for but also against it. How do social constructionist theories differ from mainstream psychological ones? Why do constructionists take some constructs for given but question others? Tune in to find out!
Today we discuss reductionism of psychology to neuroscience with the newly appointed assistant professor at the Department of Theory and History, Markus Eronen. We touch upon arguments in favor and against reductionism, as well as how that translates into treatment of mental disorders.
In this podcast we talk to Jeremy Burman (@BurmanPhD on Twitter) about the topic of cultural evolution as taught in the Controversies in Psychology course. We get to know about the use of memes in the study of cultural evolution, interdisciplinary methodological importations, but also about a unified theory of cultural evolution and its implications for society.
In this podcast, we talk to Maarten Derksen about the Replicability Crisis in Psychology based on a lecture in the Controversies in Psychology course. We touch upon the pros and cons of direct versus conceptual replications, ethical principles of conducting replications, but also bullying in the academia and the impact it has on the way science is done.
Hello dear listeners! dr. Simon Dalley is here to talk to us about body dissatisfaction. Why does it arise, and how can we change people's attitudes towards their body? We talk about the influence of social media and TV, different types of comparing, and the different outcomes of body dissatisfaction. How should we combat this? Should changes happen on a cultural or personal level?
Here is an episode with Linda Steg, professor of Environmental Psychology at the RuG. We talk about two approaches to lessening the human impact on global warming, the Paris Agreement, Donald Trump's decision to abandon it, and more. Which approach do you think will have a larger impact? If you're interested in this podcast, subscribe to us on Soundcloud (goo.gl/YTBaCj) and iTunes (goo.gl/Q9XtxH). Check www.mindwise-groningen.nl for more psychology-related content!
Hello, dear listeners! It's been a while since our last episode, good to see you again. Today, we present to you our talk with Hedderik van Rijn. He is a cognitive neuroscientist, currently researching how humans perceive and keep track of time. We talk about his work, particularly on the challenges of obtaining the prestigious Vici grant, and dip our toes in the theoretical background of his research. Do you want your future robot to be able to pour you a glass of milk? Hedderik van Rijn's work will help equip robots with a more human-like time perception.
We sat down in Jeremy Burman's (@BurmanPhD on Twitter) book-filled office to talk about... well, a lot of things. He is a historian of science, currently investigating Jean Piaget's lost work on child development, among many other topics. He shares with us his personal history, which starts in the "dot-com" era, hoping to become a multimillionaire. Why did he switch from dreaming of market dominance to writing about how concepts change over time? - mindwise-groningen.nl
http://www.cogsci.nl/ - his blog http://osdoc.cogsci.nl/ - OpenSesame Sebastiaan recently started working as an assistant professor at the Experimental Psychology department here in Groningen. In this episode, we get to meet him for the first time. His experimental work deals with vision, and more specifically- the study of pupillometry. He shares a lot of interesting findings about pupils, for example that covert attention (i.e. looking at an object with “your mind’s eye”, and not fixating your view on it) plays an interesting role in pupil size. He has a lifelong interest in computer science, but what made him decide to switch to studying cognition? How does computer science influence a modern researcher’s work? What are his tips for novices? Sebastiaan is also the creator of OpenSesame- a freeware alternative for designing psychology experiments. The second half of the podcast is an interesting conversation about open science, and possible ways to improve the paper-publishing cycle in the future! Be sure to check out his blog, linked above, and if you’re interested in experiment design- give OpenSesame a try!
http://www.rug.nl/staff/m.e.timmerman/ prof. dr. Marieke Timmerman joins Airi in our attempt at a 'How Stuff Works?' episode about the Examination Committee of the Psychology Programme. The committee is well known to us students, but its functions and capabilities are still a mystery to many. Should you send that angry email after you fail with 1 mistake too many, and how many questions can be removed from an exam? Many details await! Listen, enjoy, and of course feel free to let us know what you think!
Julian sits down with dr. Jacob Jolij, a Cognitive Neuroscientist at Groningen's Psychology Department. Most memorable among students as the gatekeeper of the psychology bachelor- the lecturer of Intro to Psychology in the beginning of the 1st year. They talk about applying cognitive research to new technologies, working with Spotify, becoming famous for conducting research on the ultimate feel-good song, his favourite teaching experiences, and round off the podcast with an apologetic discussion of the TEDx format. https://twitter.com/jjolij http://www.jolij.com/ Photo ©SanderMartens
"In a society where so much is expected from us, isn't it "normal" to have symptoms like ADHD?" This time, we sit down with dr. Anselm Fuermaier and discuss his main field of research - ADHD. Although it is now accepted as a highly prevalent disorder, is there a chance that it might be overdiagnosed? Anselm discusses his thoughts with us. ----- http://mindwise-groningen.nl/?s=fuermaier https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anselm_Fuermaier
Today's special guest is Sicco de Knecht. He is a PhD student in neuroscience at the University of Amsterdam, and an active participant in the ReThink movement (http://rethinkuva.org/about-rethink-uva/). He is a prolific writer for the internet journal De Fusie In 2015, and was elected ‘m/w of the year’ by UvA's university newspaper Folia. Sicco's writing: (1)http://defusie.net/auteur/sicco-de-knecht/ (2)http://www.folia.nl/actueel/98272/sicco-de-knecht-is-folias-man-van-het-jaar Articles & books mentioned this episode: (1)http://www.scienceintransition.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Science-in-Transition-Position-Paper-final.pdf (2)https://www.timeshighereducation.com/books/what-are-universities-for/418997.article (3)http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2016/jan/11/want-to-improve-teaching-in-universities-value-those-who-teach Podcast Host: @MarcoSchlosser , Edwina Wong.
Marieke van Vugt is an assistant professor in the Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Engineering (ALICE) at the University of Groningen. Her research aims to understand how we make the decisions we make, and how they are affected by our memories and context. In addition, she is interested in how meditation practice affects our cognitive system, and the consequences this has for our behaviour. She uses the unique approach of computational modeling to investigate these practices. Podcast Host: @MarcoSchlosser (Twitter) http://www.ai.rug.nl/~mkvanvugt/research.html Please feel free to share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section.
Boris Kyuchoukov and dr. Casper Albers are both involved with the University Council and in this episode they will give us an insider perspective on the University of Groningen’s politics. How do ideas get generated in the council, and what is the process through which a “baby” idea gets transformed into a fully grown administrative decision? Is the scientific method used in the development of the university? Why is the focus on University Rankings both beneficial and detrimental to an educational establishment? Is it a good idea to expand our campuses to Friesland and China? What new implementations can we hope to see in the near future? Should I vote in the upcoming elections? These are just a few of the questions we discuss in the episode. Feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think!
Don van Ravenzwaaij talks to us about the introductory statistics course he teaches at the Psychology department of the University of Groningen. Find out now what the course consists of, how to study and why statistics is so useful.
Groningen's new stats Prof has it all: insights into Bayesian statistics, cool cognitive response time models and a professional career as a Magic The Gathering player. Still not impressed? Then check out what he has to say about the replication crisis in science and how we might tackle it. Find Don here: http://www.donvanravenzwaaij.com or tune in to the next Mindwise podcast when he will talk to us about the introductory statistic course he teaches at the University of Groningen.
Welcome back to the podcast! In this episode, we sit down with dr. Judith Daniels who started working in University of Groningen's Psychology Department relatively recently. You will hear about her research interests- revolving around the fascinating phenomenon of dissociation. Everyone has had dissociative moments many times in their lives, but for some people it might come with a serious price, such as people suffering from PTSD. The science behind this and other discussed topics is still very much a work in progress and has many implications for improving treatment efficacy, gaining new insights on how the human mind integrates information, etc. If you want to listen to more of our podcasts you can follow us on Soundcloud and iTunes!
Welcome back to the mindwise podcast! For this special episode mindwise met Miriam Lommen. She newly arrived at the University of Groningen and will talk to us about her research in the area of PTSD, life in academia and, of course, how it is to come to Groningen. Find out now about her experiences in Oxford, her past research project in Sri Lanka and about how to become a researcher.
It's summer and thus university-free time (at least for most of us students)! We hope this podcast episode can satisfy your unmet longing for casually academic conversations. For this episode, Nina Hansen, associate professor at the University of Groningen, chatted with us about her current research project in Sri Lanka, her passion for applied research, the importance of taking initiative (Bachelor students listen up!!) and much more. Enjoy! Check the following links to explore more of the topics we mentioned: Nina's publications and activities http://www.rug.nl/staff/n.hansen/research One Laptop per Child http://one.laptop.org http://www.olpcnews.com/about_olpc_news/goodbye_one_laptop_per_child.html
Welcome back to the podcast! Today's guest is Pontus Leander. His research interests include motivation, goal pursuit and social cognition. In this episode we explore his professional and personal journey through academia. He shares insightful experiences and we ponder over what mindset is most helpful to navigate academia. Enjoy! Links to topics mentioned during the episode: http://www.apa.org/pubs/books/4441010.aspx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bargh
Welcome back to the podcast! Today’s guest on the show is Professor Trudy Dehue. Trudy is Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Groningen. Her fascinating research interests include the classification issue in science, the neurobiological turn in psychology, the commercialization of medicines testing, and the standardizing power of experimental research over health care. If you want to find out more about Trudy then please check the links below. There you can find links to her website, her books, her TED talk and great articles Trudy recommended such as the one by Keith Thomas titled “What are universities for”. Trudy: http://www.trudydehue.nl http://www.rug.nl/news-and-events/people-perspectives/scientists-in-focus/dehue?lang=en http://www.atlascontact.nl/boek/betere-mensen/ Scientific Articles & Books: http://infolet.it/files/2010/11/what-are-university-for.pdf http://www.scienceintransition.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Science-in-Transition-Position-Paper-final.pdf http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/nov/24/our-universities-why-are-they-failing/?pagination=false&printpage=true http://www.scienceintransition.nl/english Newspaper reports: http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2015/mar/17/dutch-student-protests-ignite-movement-against-management-of-universities http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/30/lse-takes-legal-action-to-evict-occupying-student-protesters http://www.cultnoise.com/the-strive-for-more-democracy-at-university/ http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/04/amsterdam-university-chief-quits-over-stude
This is the fifth episode of our new podcast series, in which psychology students from the University of Groningen interview their lecturers. Here, we discuss the researcher's diverse toolbox. Throughout the current block, dr. Tassos Sarampalis, the lecturer for the course 'Research Methods: Theory and Ethics' will be the weekly guest on our podcast to answers students' questions. If you have feedback concerning this episode or want your own questions to be featured in upcoming episodes, please contact us at mindwise@rug.nl Photo by Sander Martens: www.sandermartens.com
This is the fourth episode of our new podcast series, in which psychology students from the University of Groningen interview their lecturers. Here, we discuss open access research and the future possibilities it might bring. Throughout the current block, dr. Tassos Sarampalis, the lecturer for the course 'Research Methods: Theory and Ethics' will be the weekly guest on our podcast to answers students' questions. If you have feedback concerning this episode or want your own questions to be featured in upcoming episodes, please contact us at mindwise@rug.nl Photo by Sander Martens: www.sandermartens.com
This is the third episode of our new podcast series, in which psychology students from the University of Groningen interview their lecturers. Throughout the current block, dr. Tassos Sarampalis, the lecturer for the course 'Research Methods: Theory and Ethics' will be the weekly guest on our podcast to answers students' questions. If you have feedback concerning this episode or want your own questions to be featured in upcoming episodes, please contact us at mindwise@rug.nl Find the BASP's editorial here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01973533.2015.1012991 Photo by Sander Martens: www.sandermartens.com
This is the second episode of our new podcast series, in which psychology students from the University of Groningen interview their lecturers. Throughout the current block, dr. Tassos Sarampalis, the lecturer for the course 'Research Methods: Theory and Ethics' will be the weekly guest on our podcast to answers students' questions. If you have feedback concerning this episode or want your own questions to be featured in upcoming episodes, please contact us at mindwise@rug.nl Photo by Sander Martens: www.sandermartens.com
This is the first episode of our new podcast series, in which psychology students from the University of Groningen interview their lecturers. Throughout the current block, dr. Tassos Sarampalis, the lecturer for the course 'Research Methods: Theory and Ethics' will be the weekly guest on our podcast to answers students' questions. If you have feedback concerning this episode or want your own questions to be featured in upcoming episodes, please contact us at mindwise@rug.nl Photo by Sander Martens: www.sandermartens.com