Episodes
Most people are only one or two nodes away from someone who has struggled with some sort of addiction, or may struggle themselves. But what is this phenomenon? The definition has been tricky to pin down because addiction can span chemicals to behaviors, can go undetected or be overt, and can have seemingly creep up out of nowhere. But what all addiction has in common is harm to the user. We are embarking on an odyssey of episodes to explore the many facets of addiction from philosophy to...
Published 03/27/24
Published 03/27/24
Have you thought about what you'll do if a significant disaster destroys most of humankind? Perhaps you've prepared for the zombie apocalypse or a nuclear winter. What will humans do if we are faced with end times? We look through the history of extinction-level natural disasters that nearly killed off all humans and how we somehow pulled through... and what this tells us about what to expect if we are faced with yet another world-ending catastrophe.  Recommendations Abraham: Apiary...
Published 03/20/24
This re-run updates a previous episode on our musings about what aphantasia is, and the purpose of diagnoses. This condition describes people who can't see with their mind's eye. But, what does that mean? How would you know? Do we have aphantasia? Do you? We'll never know. Recommendations Abraham? Project Ironside (https://ironsidegametable.com/)Shane: Electric Shark Tattoo (https://electricsharktattoo.com/) Links and References Arcangeli, M. Aphantasia demystified. Synthese 201, 31 (2023)....
Published 03/13/24
Psychologists and philosophers speculated for centuries trying to understand how the conscious experience of the mind relates to the physical substrate of the body. Is the mind just the process of our gooey brains, or something more? It's our brains. But we'll unpack it all. Recommendations Abraham: The Fox Experiment (https://pandasaurusgames.com/products/the-fox-experiment) Shane: Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub (https://stephenking.com/works/novel/black-house.html) Become...
Published 03/06/24
Technical and professional jargon can be furstratingly opaque and many professionals lament the frequent use of technical speak. However, there is a benefit to technical jargon and neologisms and times that are appropriate for employing this type of communication. We also translate some common behavior analyst terms (behaviorese) into more readily understandable language. Where do you fall on this issue? Vocab: Neologism Recommendations Abraham: The Big Sick...
Published 02/28/24
Kids these days...but what does that mean? Have kids changed over time? Many people believe that there is something to say about the different "generations." Indeed, each generation experiences similar world events during the impressionable years of youth. What then can we expect from Baby Boomers, Millenials, or Gen Z? We take a skeptical and scientific look at the characteristic features of the behavior of people born during certain eras. Recommendations Abraham: The Green Knight...
Published 02/21/24
Down Syndrome is a genetic condition with some characteristic features and complications. We explain how this condition occurs, the history, features of the diagnosis, and treatment. Do you know someone with Down Syndrome? Join us in our celebration of a diverse group of people united by their genetic variation. Recommendations Abraham: Self Reliance (https://www.hulu.com/movie/self-reliance-b530df17-e123-4174-8d4d-75e6f422468f)Shane: Archers of Loaf - Seconds Before the Accident...
Published 02/14/24
Unions are grouops of employees who band together to form an allied unit that works to support its members in a work environment. This usually results in bargaining for higher wages for union members. Companies have long despised unions for this reason. Right to work laws state that their intended purpose is to give employees the option to opt out of unions if they don't want to participate. We explore what this means for employees and employers and unions and the history....
Published 02/07/24
What do we do what we do? Because we do! That's the thesis of the life and death drive. We explain and dismantal this little known hypothesis of behavior championed by the psychoanalysts of the early 20th century. What drives you? Recommendations Abraham: The Flash (https://www.dc.com/theflash)Shane: Bear vs. Shark - Right Now, You’re in the Best of Hands. And If Something Isn’t Quite Right, Your Doctor Will Know in a Hurry...
Published 01/31/24
Science and quantitiative model nerds, this is for you! Or maybe not... We explain the mathematical model that purports to explain choice-making. We enumerate the benefits this model has had on behavior science in general, as well as take a hard critical look. Recommendations Abraham: Arborea (https://www.alleycatgames.com/arborea)Shane: The Silence of the Lambs (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/)Links and References: Greer, B.D. and Shahan, T.A. (2019), Resurgence as Choice:...
Published 01/24/24
Engineering student and behaviorist Joseph Dailey joins us to talk about artificial intelligence: where it came from, where it is going, and what it can tell us about human psychology. We reflect on the current state of AI and consider some skeptical and practice considerations for how AI may impact us moving forward. Links and References: https://nicholas.carlini.com/writing/llm-forecast/https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762Recommendations Abraham: Go on a hikeJoey: Listen to your body and...
Published 01/17/24
Humans have long been interested with shortcuts for peering into the enigma of the mind. Further, we search desperately for any clues that can help us identify persons of interest, particularly in crimes. What can we learn about people by analyzing their handwriting? What does your handwriting say about you? If we consider how penmanship develops, and what personality is, it becomes fairly obvious. Recommendations Abraham: Barbie (https://www.barbie-themovie.com/)Shane: Aladdin the Musical...
Published 01/10/24
Three meals per day has been so ingrained in western (and other cultures) for so long that it seems like it might be a biological requirement for humans. But we also know that food was not so easy to come by for our ancestors. We unpack the history of the three meals per day tradition. Recommendations Abraham: Fargo (season 5;...
Published 01/03/24
Happy New Year! This is a re-cap of the year we just completed. What we talked about in the various episodes this year, what we read and watched, in memorium, and other fluff. Did you have a favorite moment? Message us and tell us what it was! Recommendations Abraham: A Knock at the Cabin (https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/knock-at-the-cabin/umc.cmc.7fetnok7ou3e2dhp9808fprnt)Shane: Kookie Now (https://kookienow.com/)
Published 12/27/23
Give that cerebrum a good scrubbing. There are two conditions under which we can get a handle on the phenomenon of brainwashing: What conditions produce the effect we might call brainwashing, and the what kind of behaviors or conditions would prompt us to label something as brainwashing. We also explore the idea that this effect isn't even really real. Of course, brainwashing has some not-so-subtle ties to racism and some nefarious activities of the US government in the past....
Published 12/20/23
Think of the most talented person you have ever known or known about. Now think about what it means to say that that person is talented. In this discussion, we try to bring a skeptical, behavioral view of the description that we love to apply to the highest performing people of any skill. We define talent, give examples, and then deconstruct the concept until we think we understand it as well as we can. If you've thought about what talent is, who has it, and why, then this episode is for...
Published 12/13/23
The uncanny valley started as a futurists fear about the future of robotics. But we have seen multiple instances of unsettling imagery in CGI that has us employing the uncanny hypothesis. There is also some skepticism about whether this phenomenon is even real. We explore the various suggestions about what accounts for the uncanny valley, whether it is real, and what behaviorism might contribute to understanding it. Recommendations Abraham: El Camino Christmas...
Published 12/06/23
Everybody wants to influence the world (to the tune of Tears for Fears). Being an influencer is one of the most enticing jobs out there for many people right now. Old, mostly young, and in between, the draw of a fame and fortune for self-made hobbyists is irresistable to many. But this is a job that requires a lot more work than it might seem, and fame is a double-edged sword. From where did this new career suddenly emerge? What is it? And, why do so many people want to do it? We'll do our...
Published 11/29/23
Let's take a trip back in time to our discussion on the bystander effect, as well as an update on what has happened in research since. What other variables can account for the bystander effect? What about when there is no bystander effect? There is such as a thing as too many cooks in the kitchen, as they say. Recommendations: Abraham: A Haunting in Venice (movie: https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/a-haunting-in-venice) Shane: De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising...
Published 11/22/23
Most people report feeling that the TSA is successfully protecting against threats. Are they right? Some argue that not flying pushes people toward driving which is exponentially more fatal. What can we do about it? Many have some radical ideas. We'll unpack what there is to understand about the TSA. Recommendations Abraham: Sounds Fishy (https://bigpotato.com/products/sounds-fishy) Shane: Hotline TNT - Cartwheel...
Published 11/15/23
Transportation is an enormous part of any economy. Airplanes are one of the more recent inventions that have changed the landscape of security around the world. In addition, the consequences of a plane failing accidentally or through the intentional destruction by bad actors is catastrophic. Therefore, the security of airplanes is of the utmost importance. Yet, the instances of terrorist actions or even attempts are vanishingly small. The TSA was designed to prevent terrorist activities. Is...
Published 11/08/23
What makes someone a troll? We are all a little bit troll-y sometimes. We dive into how and why it works, when it is good and bad, and a brief history of trolls. Join us for the psychology of troll behavior. Recommendations Abraham: Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (https://www.netflix.com/title/80209229)Shane: Blink 182 - One More Time… (https://open.spotify.com/album/1OteY9OFTmoZ0vmZT89wPd; https://music.apple.com/us/album/one-more-time/1707257664)Links and References: Cheng,...
Published 11/01/23
Why are some people evil? What is evil anyway? Is evil even real? We discuss the philosophy of what evil is and why it occurs... if it occurs. Recommendations Abraham: No One Will Save You (https://www.hulu.com/movie/no-one-will-save-you-9e96f51e-6806-4306-9773-e96b68d25305)Shane: Electric Shark Tattoo Studio (https://www.instagram.com/electricsharktattoo/) Links and References:...
Published 10/25/23
In the 1970s in the US and other parts of the world, a great fear was blossoming in the hearts of normal, every day people. The very real threat of the conspiracy of the satanic cults! Dun Dun DUN! Except... the fear about satanic cults is actually pretty old. Why was there a new fear? What was really going on during the satanic panic? You've got questions, or at least we assume you do... and we've got (some) answers. Recommendations Abraham: Wrath of Becky...
Published 10/18/23