My Psychology Podcast with Dr. Andy Pomerantz

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Dr. Éva Szeli and Dr. Nicole Brandt about Chapter 15, “Therapy.” They talk about topics that include a story about working with children with ADHD, the importance of ethics in the field of mental health, and common factors in therapy. They wrap up with brief discussions of the importance of finding a therapist that is a good fit and avoiding stigma.

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Éva Szeli and Stephen Bonnette about Chapter 14, “Psychological Disorders.” They share their personal stories and best examples from the intro psych classroom on topics that include the criteria for diagnosing a psychological disorder, the issue of medical school syndrome and problems with self-diagnosing, and how the DSM was created and revised.

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Éva Szeli and David Tom about Chapter 13, “Social Psychology.” They discuss the fundamental attribution error and interpersonal conflict; attitudes, persuasion, and the receiver’s role; social loafing in group projects; group polarization, even in dyads; conformity and obedience; and stereotyping and prejudice.

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Éva Szeli and Alan Whitehead about Chapter 12, “Personality.” They share stories and examples from the classroom about the Big Five model of personality, the importance of a continuum in discussing personality, and how psychology is about more than Sigmund Freud. They conclude with how to apply the topic of the locus (“location”) of control to our lives.

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Debra Roberts and Jessamy Comer about Chapter 11, “Stress and Health.” They discuss how to differentiate between stress and stressors and how to view stress as an opportunity. They explain the general adaptation syndrome, share a story of stress and the nervous system, and discuss primary and secondary appraisal, stress and diversity, and coping strategies.

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Debra Roberts and David Tom about Chapter 10, “Diversity in Psychology: Multiculturalism, Gender, and Sexuality.” They share examples of the aspects of a culture and worldview, use stories to explain microaggressions and how to avoid them, clarify between sex and gender, and discuss acculturation strategies as life hacks.

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Éva Szeli and Jessamy Comer about Chapter 9, “Development Across the Life Span.” They share stories and examples from the classroom about Piaget’s developmental stages, schemas and our understanding of the world, and the danger of teratogens in prenatal development. They conclude by discussing parenting styles.

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Debra Roberts and Alan Whitehead about Chapter 8, “Motivation and Emotion.” They explain motivation and emotion, tell the story of Olympian Derek Redmond, and discuss motivation theories. They then talk about intrinsic emotion, the Yerkes-Dodson law in relation to sports psychology, and conclude with how environment and culture affect hunger and eating.

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Debra Roberts and Alan Whitehead about Chapter 7, “Cognition: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence.” They discuss the concept of concepts in connection to the recent NBA championship, how geography can lead to different language usages, and share stories about brand names and language. They explain affective forecasting, and conclude with multiple intelligences. 

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Éva Szeli and Nicole Brandt about Chapter 6, “Learning.” They share a moving story about blue latex gloves and classical conditioning and then break down the concept for students. The professors go on to clarify confusing aspects of operant conditioning, reinforcement schedules, and discuss the important topic of observational learning.

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Éva Szeli and Anita Tam about Chapter 5, “Memory.” They discuss the importance of the levels of processing, the problems with eyewitness testimony, the usefulness of the spacing effect and how it can help with studying, forgetting and other memory problems, and tell a great story about the misinformation effect.

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Debra Roberts and Stephen Bonnette about Chapter 4, “Consciousness.” They share their personal stories and examples from the intro psych classroom on topics that include the dangerous consequences of sleep deprivation, circadian rhythms and the sleep problems associated with using screens at night, and the surprising fact that alcohol is actually a depressant.

Andrew talks with Eva and Kelly about Chapter 3, “Sensation and Perception.” They tell a classroom story of selective attention, discuss the differences between sensation and perception, share family stories about smell and adaptation, describe the visual and auditory systems and difference thresholds, and offer advice on noise and ear damage. 

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Éva Szeli and Kelly Anne Barnes about Chapter 2, “Brain and Behavior.” They explain the ways in which the brain sends messages throughout the body, discuss the surprising prevalence of spinal cord injuries, and share a powerful family story about brain plasticity.

Andrew Pomerantz talks with Éva Szeli and Anita Tam about Chapter 1, “The Science of Psychology.” Through personal stories and examples from the classroom, they discuss the importance of psychology as a science, and touch on the history of psychology, how psychological research is conducted and results are shared, and correlation versus causation.