Mindset: The New Psychology of Success List Price: $16.00 Price: $9.14 Read Reviews

Resources for This Episode

• Do Animals Smile?
• The Psychology of Yogurt
• The Yogurt Made Me Do It
• Psychology (Yesterday and) Today: Evelyn Hooker

The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us List Price: $28.00 Price: $16.39 Read Reviews

• Self Help You Can Believe In: Interview with Dr. Tim Wilson, Author of Redirect

• Low GABA Levels Hinder Teens from Experiencing Pleasure | Psych …

  psychcentral.com10/8/11

  Teens with anhedonia — a symptom of depression marked by an inability to experience pleasure — are found to have lower levels of the neurotransmitter GABA.

• Why do beliefs about intelligence influence learning success? A social cognitive neuroscience model (a downloadable PDF file)

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain List Price: $24.99 Price: $13.38 Read Reviews

6 Psychological Reasons Why We Want To Kill Zombies

• Freud: we all have an innate aggressive drive. Killing zombies allows for that instinct to express itself.
• Evolution: We all seem to be fascinated with dead things – dead bugs, dead animals on the side of the road, when you hear about someone dying you always want to know why and, admit it, you wonder a bit if that’s something you might be susceptible to. Death both scares and fascinates us. as we involved, if you weren’t curious about why other creatures died you probably didn’t survive yourself. Curiosity about death is probably built into us
• Social Roles: Every day we restrain ourselves from expressing our true emotions. Perhaps our desire to kill zombies is an expression of our desire to break out of our roles for just a short while, to express feelings we normally must keep inside.




• Just World Belief: the undead are clearly the bad guys and they deserve to die
• Fear of Scientific progression: (ex: nuclear bombs Godzilla)"
  

  Film-goers have always loved a good scare, and a shambling collection of neuron-challenged corpses make a pretty terrifying story. And if my zombie-obsessed 14-year-old son is a representative sample, blowing the undead away with heavy weaponry has a solid adolescent demographic appeal. But there’s no question, at least in my mind, that zombies (and Godzilla) are an allegorical representation of our fear that science and the technologies it spawn will lead to our destruction. – James Turner, Forbes Magazine article

• Terror Management: zombies are reminders of our own mortality which we don’t want to be reminded of, so we kill them in a symbolic way of overcoming death.
• From Jeff Greenberg, researcher on Terror Management Theory:
  

  People are fascinated by phenomena such as esp, psychokinesis, communicating with the dead, ghosts, vampires, and zombies in part because [they] allow for the possibility of some essence or aspect of us surviving beyond death. One could speculate that these forms of the supernatural are growing in popularity, along with their positive counterparts, superheroes, because of lessened faith in traditional religious conceptions of the supernatural…

  Zombies also deny the finality of death – here are these beings who are functioning after they have died. It’s not a pretty afterlife, but if this is possible, better forms may also be out there.

  …because zombies are “already dead” we can be guilt free and gleefully watch them killed in every way possible no matter how grisly, vicariously aggressing against this substitute source of our fears with complete abandon.”

• Kleber, B., Veit, R., Birbaumer, N., Gruzelier, J., & Lotze, M. (2009). The Brain of Opera Singers: Experience-Dependent Changes in Functional Activation. Cerebral Cortex, 20 (5), 1144-1152.
• Cerebral Cortex
• Zarate, J.M. and Zatorre, R.J. (2008). Experience-dependent neural substrates involved in vocal pitch regulation during singing. NeuroImage, 40, 1871–1887.
• Kleber, B. Birbaumer, N., Veit, R. Trevorrow, T. and Lotze, M. (2007). Overt and imagined singing of an Italian aria. NeuroImage, 36, 889-900.
• Buonomano DV, Merzenich MM. 1998. Cortical plasticity: from synapses to maps. Annu Rev Neurosci. 21:149-186.
• Elbert T, Pantev C, Wienbruch C, Rockstroh B, Taub E. 1995. Increased cortical representation of the fingers of the left hand in string players. Science. 270:305-307.
• Gunji A, Ishii R, Chau W, Kakigi R, Pantev C. 2007. Rhythmic brain activities related to singing in humans. Neuroimage. 34:426-434.
• Nielsen JB, Cohen LG. 2008. The Olympic brain. Does corticospinal plasticity play a role in acquisition of skills required for high- performance sports? J Physiol. 586:65–70.
• Opera singing in the brain scanner

Brain Games Research

• A nice review of the brain training research can be found in this excellent book, "The Invisible Gorilla"


The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us List Price: $14.00 Price: $6.90 Read Reviews

• Brain training for babies actually works (short term, at least)

  Brain training for babies actually works (short term, at least). Products designed to give babies and young children an educational headstart are hugely popular but they're mostly backed up by weak science. In some cases, for …

  Publish Date: 09/12/2011 4:29

  http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2011/09/brain-training-for-babies-actually.html

• Owen, A.M., Hampshire, A., Grahn, J.A., Stenton, R., Dajani, S. Burns, A. S., Howard and Ballard, C.G (2010). Putting brain training to the test, Nature, 465, 775-779.
• Colcombe, S. and Kramer, A.F. (2003). Fitness effects on the cognitive function of older adults. Psychological Science, 14(2), 125-130.
• Papp, K.V., Walsh, S.J. and Snyder, P.J. (2009). Immediate and delayed effects of cognitive interventions in healthy elderly: A review of current literature and future directions. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 5, 50-60.
• Willis, S.L., Tennstedt, S.L., Marsiske, M. Ball, K., Elias, F., Koepke, K.M., Morris, J.N., Rebok, G.W., Unverzagt, F.W., Stoddard, A.M., and Wright, W. (2006). Long-term effects of cognitive training on everyday functional outcomes in older adults. Journal of the American Medical Association, 296 (23).
• Smith, G.E., Housen, P., Yaffe, K., Ruff, R., Kennison, R.F., Mahncke, H.W. and Zelinski, E.M. (2009). A cognitive training program based on principles of brain plasticity: Results from the improvement in memory with Plasticity-based adaptive cognitive training (IMPACT) Study. The American Geriatrics Society.
• For a different perspective, read this article by CogMed a company that makes brain training tools. You’ll see how they critique the Owen, et. al study (above). Putting “brain training” to the test – and about time. They recommend that you read the research that they have conducted. If you do so, do you think their research is more convincing that those cited above?

The Big Five Personality Traits

One of the most popular theories of personality is the so-called Big Five personality traits. Here is a list of those traits along with what we know as to where they may reside in your brain.

• Openness – dorsolateral PFC, anterior PFC, anterior parietal cortex (research was inconclusive on this personality factor)
• Conscientiousness – Lateral Profrontal Cortex
• Extraversion – Orbitofrontal Cortex, Nucleus Accumbens, Amygdala
• Agreeableness – superior temporal sulcus, posterior cingulate cortex
• Neuroticism – Medial prefrontal cortex, Amygdala, Hippocampus

Resources

• DeYoung, C. G., Hirsh, J. B., Shane, M. S., Papademetris, X., Rajeevan, N., & Gray, J. R. (2010). Testing predictions from personality neuroscience: Brain structure and the Big Five. Psychological Science, 21, 820–828.
• DeYoung, C.G., & Gray, J.R. (2009). Personality neuroscience: Explaining individual differences in affect, behavior, and cognition. In P.J. Corr & G. Matthews (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of personality psychology (pp. 323–346). New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Here’s the website of the lead researcher, Colin DeYoung
• Check out the wonderful 3D brain program called Brain Tutor by Brain Voyager
• Could brain size determine whether you are good at maintaining friendships?
• Here’s the concept map on Personality Neuroscience I used during this episode.
• A summary and brief interview with Dr. Deyoung can be found in this article, Shape of Brain Tied to Personality, Says Scientist.

• Phrenology Wallpaper – A Pseudoscience by Franz Joseph Gall.

  Phrenology Desktop Wallpaper – A Pseudoscience involving feeling bumps on the head. Developed by German physician Franz Joseph Gall.

  Publish Date: 08/26/2011 14:21

  http://artcove.co.uk/blog/phrenology-desktop-wallpaper.html




• How People Have Visualized The Mind Throughout History – Co.Design

  Co.Design

  How People Have Visualized The Mind Throughout History Co.Design Another section, “depictions of mental states,” gives us phrenology alongside Evward Munch. There's so much variety here, you start to wonder: What are all those slick computer-generated brain scans saying, anyway? They're biologically accurate, sure, …

• Phrenology part 1

  Phrenology is the science which studies the relationships between a person’s character and the morphology of the skull. It is a very ancient object of study. The first philosopher to locate mental faculties in the head was in fact Aristoteles. Severa…

Psychology Apps

“…we should…be asking ourselves why we as a society are so emotionally invested in this research. Will it – or should it – make any difference in the way we perceive ourselves and others or how we live our lives and allow others to live theirs? – William Byne: The Biological Evidence Challenged (1994, Scientific American)

Correction: In the first version of this episode I incorrectly estimated the number of homosexuals in the US. Assuming a US population of about 260 million with about 1/2 female and 1/2 male, then 2% (females) and 3% (males) of 260 million would equal about 6 and a half million total. I updated the audio file to include this corrected information.

Resources on Sexual Orientation

• If you would like to see the concept map I used to hold my notes for this episode click here: sexual orientation.
• If you would like to download the PowerPoint file containing these same notes click here: sexual orientation powerpoint file.

Research on Sexual Orientation

Bailey, J.M., Bobrow, D., Wolfe, M., & Mikach, S. (1995). Sexual Orientation of Adult Sons of Gay Fathers. Developmental Psychology, 31 (1), 124-129.

Bell, A., Weinberg, M., & Hammersmith, S. (1981). Sexual preference: Its development in men and women. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Bem, D.J. (1886). Exotic becomes erotic: A Developmental theory of sexual attraction. Psychological Review, 103, 320-335.

Byne, W. (1994). The Biological Evidence Challenged. Scientific American, May.

Ciccarelli, S. & Meyer, G.F. (2006). Psychology. Prentice Hall.

Cantor, J.M., Blanchard, R., Paterson, A.D. & Bogaert, A.F. (2002). How many gay men owe their sexual orientation to fraternal birth order? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31, 1; Psychology Module.

Gladue, B.A, The BioPsychology of Sexual Orientation. in Current Directions in Human Sexuality and Intimate Relationships, Fisher, T.D. & McNulty, J. eds. Allyn and Bacon.

Hock, R. (2010). Human Sexuality, 2e. Prentice Hall.

Kendler, K.S., Thornton, L.M., Gilman, S.E., & Kessler, R.C. (2000). Sexual orientation in a U.S. national sample of twin and nontwin sibling pairs. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 157; 11; Health Module.

King, B.M. (2005). Human Sexuality Today. Prentice Hall, 5e.

Levay, S. (1991). A difference in hypothalamic structure between heterosexual and homosexual men. Science, 253, 1034-1037.

McClintock, M.K. & Herdt, G., Rethinking Puberty: The Development of Sexual Attraction in Current Directions in Human Sexuality and Intimate Relationships, Fisher, T.D. & McNulty, J. eds. Allyn and Bacon.

McFadden, D., Loehlin, J.C. and Pasanen, E.G. (1996) Additional findings on heritability and prenatal masculinization of cochlear mechanisms: Click-evoked otoacoustic emissions. Hearing Research, 97, 102-119.

Patterson, C.J. (2000). Family Relationships of Lesbians and Gay Men, Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 1052-1069

Rind, B. (2001). Gay and bisexual adolescent boys’ sexual experiences with men: an empirical examamination of psychological correlates in a nonclinical sample. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 30 (4).

Selekman, S. (2007). Homosexuality in children and their parents. Pediatric Nursing, 33(5).

Smith, B. (2007). The Psychology of Sex and Gender. Allyn and Bacon.

Toates, F. (2007). Biological Psychology. Prentice Hall.

Wood, S.E., Wood, E. G., & Boyd, D. (2005). The World of Psychology, 5e. Allyn and Bacon.

Why do minor chords so sad? In this episode of The Psych Files I explore ideas from Daniel Leviton‘s fascinating book, This Is Your Brain on Music, especially those ideas concerned with what composers do to draw you into their piece by first conforming to your musical expectations and then carefully confounding them in order to surprise and delight. I talk with guitarist and composer David Temple to get his perspective on this process as well. Along the way you’ll hear excerpts from some fascinating pieces of music and David and I will discuss what makes them so compelling, especially those in the minor key. My My piano playing skills are pretty rough but get ready for some fun.

Resources on the Psychology of Music

• 

  This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession List Price: $16.00 Price: $7.50 Read Reviews

• The intersection of psychology and the arts, particularly music, is a growing interest to many people. If you’re interested in the connection of music and psychology, a “Master’s in Applied Psychology” could be for you. If you’ve already got a bachelor’s degree then you might be interested in the Masters in Applied Psychology at Sacred Heart University. You can earn this graduate degree from your own home. Worth looking into.
• Thanks so much to guitarist and composer David Temple. The pieces you heard in today’s episode can be purchased from David Temple‘s website:
• You can email David at davitem AT yahoo DOT com and he will give you more info about how to purchase his CDs.
• Here’s the book I used to learn to play piano:
• 

  How to Play Piano Despite Years of Lessons: What Music Is and How to Make It at Home List Price: $22.99 Price: $14.62 Read Reviews

,

• Excellent article that appeared in Cognitive Daily called, "Even isolated cultures understand emotions conveyed by Western music".
• Great article that appeared in the July 2009 edition of Scientific American Mind entitled "Why Music Moves Us".
• Another interesting article on how music affects us from Scientific American Mind called "Music in Your Head"
• Here’s a more academically-oriented book on the topic of music and expectations:
• 
• The Cognitive Neuroscience of Music – an excellent book, summarized here on the Paintest Blog.

Resources for this Podcast

• Here is Susan Weinschenk’s blog where you’ll find lots of more information about her and her work.
• Dr. Weinschenk also has a website devoted to her book Neuro Web Design.
• Dr. Weinschenk mentioned in the interview a very interesting site called Kiva. Here’s a little information about the site from their homepage, "Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur in the developing world – empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty."
• Related episode: In episode 31, Lemon Slices and a New Face on Mars! Gestalt Principles at Work, I talked about how Gestalt principles are used in designing web sites.
• Dr. Weinschenk’s book:
• Other books mentioned during this episode: