What do Pavlov’s dogs, casinos, bad whiskey ads, and near-mystical slot machines have in common? They all reveal something wild about how we learn—and how easily we’re influenced without even realizing it. In this episode, I break down classical, operant, and latent learning with real-world examples (and a few rants) to show how our minds…
I’m excited to share the latest installment of The World of the Mind with you! In this episode, I take a deep dive into the complexities of human cognition, exploring how our “electric head meat” has shaped our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. From early hominins crafting primitive tools to the evolution…
I’m excited to share the first episode of The World of the Mind, a new video series exploring how the brain and mind operate, how our understanding of them has evolved, and what happens when they’re pushed to their limits. This series will cover everything from perception and cognition to extreme psychological experiences. Check out…
Serial killers captivate and horrify us in equal measure. The psychology behind their actions remains one of the most perplexing mysteries in forensic science. Why would someone continue a path of violence when capture is almost inevitable? What is it that overrides rational self-preservation? In my latest article, I explore a fascinating perspective—how deeply rooted,…
Matthew J. Sharps Every generation has dealt with mental illness. Every generation has done so from an essentially local perspective, based in local concepts of the best way to understand the natural world from which mental illness has sprung. Historically, every generation has been fairly certain that its perspective on mental illness was correct. The…
Matthew J. Sharps Something about the Winter Solstice, on or about December 21 every year, seems to give people the willies. It’s hard to say why. If you live on a planet, you’re going to get solstices. You can’t help it. Yet things happen around that time of year anyway. Psychological things, of considerable interest….
Matthew J. Sharps Percival Lowell was a great astronomer of the last century, whose personal wealth allowed him to build a splendid observatory, the discoveries of which have been important to the present day. Yet despite all of his scientific success, Lowell is mainly remembered today for his one big failure: his descriptions of the…
Repeated tests of eyewitness identifications can result in eyewitness errors and ultimately in wrongful convictions. Check out this month’s post of The Forensic View from Psychology Today to find out why. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-forensic-view/202412/dont-i-know-you-from-somewhere
Cognitive Asynchrony Theory This theoretical perspective provides a framework for understanding the effects on memory and higher cognition of the speed loss inherent in eugeric (normal) aging. The theory posits that eugeric neurological loss is asymmetric among the brain circuits supporting memory and decision-making, resulting in the greater difficulties observed in more complex imaging tasks…