Shows / Why We Do What We Do
Why We Do What We Do
We explain popular and weird, little-known ideas in psychology. Whether you are a little curious about psychology, or a student, or even a professional, we have something for everyone.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.
Episodes
- Why We Do What We Do
Sick for Attention
Munchausen By Proxy, or Factitious Disorder Imposed on another (FDIA) is (somewhat) assumed to affect 1,000 of the 2.5 million cases of child abuse reported…
- Why We Do What We Do
Motivational Interviewing
Turns out the method of persuasion we have all grown to love being on the receiving end of, condescending lectures and rhetorical questions, might not be the…
- Why We Do What We Do
Human Lost and Found
Search and rescue is an amazing, generous, and honorable activity... that is also dangerous and requires training. If you want to join search and rescue…
- Why We Do What We Do
245 | Genital Reveal Parties
We are cataloguing the strange, modern custom of intentionally/unintentionally starting massive wild-fires because of the excitement about what kind of…
- Why We Do What We Do
244 | Get Rich(ish)
The past few decades in America have been some of the most financially challenging for a number of reasons. Professionals and academics have debated the exact…
- Why We Do What We Do
243 | Psychology of... Calendars?
You might have thought it was 2021, and for most people out there, it is. But around the world, some cultures still cling to alternative measures of time…
- Why We Do What We Do
242 | Applied Behavior Analysis: Anti-Ableism w/ Dr. Megan Miller and Dr. Kerri Milyko
In a retrospective follow-up with Dr. Kerri Milyko and Dr. Megan Miller, we revisit the discussion around Applied Behavior Analysis, Anti-Ableism, Autism, and…
- Why We Do What We Do
241 | Christmas Origins: Santa Claus
This time of year it is fun to explore the origins of our most rock-solid traditions. In this discussion we learn about our favorite god-like mutant: Santa…
Why We Do What We Do240 | (COVID) Vaccine Hesitancy pt 2
"Pretend reasons" for being hesitant about the vaccine are the conspiracy theories and nonsense. Motivated reasons are the biases and excuses that sound…
Why We Do What We Do239 | (COVID) Vaccine Hesitancy pt 1
We may disagree with them, strongly, but those of us who are hesitant about getting the vaccine, are not stupid. And treating them as such will only cause them…
Why We Do What We Do238 | Goop
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop brand markets itself as an “alternative wellness” brand that encompasses a variety of products, tips, and information geared toward…
Why We Do What We Do237 | Beyond Dog and Boba Fett
Bounty hunting has evolved from several centuries ago from a more renegade and vigilante practice and into a formal, licensed, and routine job. Those who enter…
Why We Do What We Do236 | Don't You D.A.R.E.
This ideological and foolish program was not only ineffective but in some instances lead to increases in the likelihood that children would use drugs. Jeff…
Why We Do What We Do235 | Above the Atmosphere
Only a small percentage of people who have attempted to be astronauts have succeeded. The training and physical requirements are extremely stringent. This is…
Why We Do What We Do234 | Poisoned
Poisoning yourself can save your life! Although this statement makes it seem like we are some alternative medicine podcast or Goop shill, we are neither! The…
Why We Do What We Do233 | Why We Bury Our Dead
Did you ever think about that "burying" means when it comes to the dead? Although many creatures might end up in the dirt, humans seem to be the only ones who…
Why We Do What We Do232 | What Makes Something "Creepy?"
There are feelings that we call "the creeps:" Heightened awareness, the chills, dilated pupils. There are things that are creepy: things in contextually…
Why We Do What We Do231 | Vampires
There are legitimate medical conditions that may have given rise to the myth of vampires. We discuss the history of vampire lore, vampirism in other cultures…
Why We Do What We Do230 | History of Halloween
Halloween is a timeless tradition that offers innocent and sometimes mischievous fun for people of all ages. It’s at time where anyone can mask their identity…
Why We Do What We Do229 | Low-Grade Mania
This rare disease has been described as "the one you would want to get if you had to have a disorder." Nevertheless, the long-term effects are deleterious. One…
Why We Do What We Do228 | Psychology's Checkered Bible
Did you know the first attempt to catalog mental health diversity occurred as part of the US Census? Although people had been imprisoning people for "mental…
Why We Do What We Do227 | Guardians
Conservatorship didn't begin with Britney Spears. Shane and Abraham discuss her case and the general principle behind conservatorship. This is meant to be a…
Why We Do What We Do226 | Jet Lag
The ability to travel far enough fast enough to feel the effects of a dramatically different day/night cycle is very new to the human experience. Only in the…
Why We Do What We Do225 | Sleepless in Insomnia
There are different types of insomnia characterized by the causes and nature of the issue. For instance, insomnia caused by external factors such as drugs or…
Why We Do What We Do224 | Speed Reading: Read Anything in Normal Minutes
It is not hard to find websites and gurus offering the promise of reading at extreme speeds while maintaining high comprehension. So, what doesn't everyone do…
Why We Do What We Do223 | What is the Point of Music Videos?
From “Thriller” to “Gangnam Style,” and everything in between, music videos have captured our hearts for several decades. This episode explores the early…
Why We Do What We Do222 | Kleptomania
Kleptomania is an accepted mental condition listed under a category of disorders related to impulse control. It involves an individual’s ability to resist…
Why We Do What We Do221 | Impulsivity and the Marshmallow
There are several quintessential psychology experiments whose notoriety transcend beyond college Intro Psych Courses. Walter Mischel’s “Marshmallow Test,” as…
Why We Do What We Do220 | Gross Sounds
Shane and Abraham (Shanebraham) explore the not-a-disorder, but still very real experience that many people have. Misophonia (not the sound of musical miso…
Why We Do What We Do219 | ABA Pt. 9: Reflections
If the last episode was the end, consider this the epilogue. The making-of, if you will. We recount our experiences with anxiety, ethics, planning, and all of…
Why We Do What We Do218 | ABA Pt. 8: The Finale
The end. Fin. The culmination of the miniseries on the controversy around Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as harmful. This final discussion is what we have…
Why We Do What We Do217 | ABA Pt. 7: Feelings
The argument is that Behavior Analysts don't consider a child's emotional well-being and ignore their feelings. Specifically, this is in regard to blocking or…
Why We Do What We Do216 | ABA Pt. 6: Dependency
Teaching, managing, supervising, etc. requires some amount of scaffolding to train new skills. For example, providing explicit instruction, demonstrating the…
Why We Do What We Do215 | ABA Pt. 5: Obedience
Over compliance can arise in coercive situations inside of many contexts including workplaces, relationships, and in ABA. It can also arise under multiple…
Why We Do What We Do214 | ABA Pt. 4: Applying It
One of the most substantial hurdles is ensuring that what we do can be applied to real-life situations. Generalization is one of the stated goals of the field…
Why We Do What We Do213 | ABA Pt. 3: Little Robots
One of the challenging aspects of teaching new behaviors is to teach them in such a way that they are meaningful to the individual, their social community, and…
Why We Do What We Do212 | ABA Pt. 2: A History of Punishment
This discussion follows us into the past as we talk about the use of punishment as an intervention for changing behavior. This practice stood alongside a host…
Why We Do What We Do211 | Applied Behavior Analysis Part 1
Recent increases in the controversial accusations that Applied Behavior Analysis is harmful, abusive, and similar to conversion therapy, have lead to a…
Why We Do What We Do210 | Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex Work (But Were Too Afraid To Ask)
Sex work is one of the oldest professions. In places where it is legal (or at least decriminalized), sex work is safe, healthy, and protects the workers. In…
Why We Do What We Do209 | Appliance, Silk, Blue: Anniversary Traditions
There are certain gifts expected for specific anniversary traditions. What may have started out as genuine support eventually blossomed into a practice guide…
Why We Do What We Do208 | I Give You Feels, You Give Me Money Part 2
Emotional marketing is a strategy that has been deeply incorporated into campaigns to solicit donations, sell products, gain brand loyalty, and other uses for…
Why We Do What We Do207 | I Give You Feels, You Give Me Money Part 1
Emotional marketing is a strategy that has been deeply incorporated into campaigns to solicit donations, sell products, gain brand loyalty, and other uses for…
Why We Do What We Do206 | Pavlov, The Man Himself
We are dipping our toes into the bio-cast style of discussions. What do you know about the scientist behind the classic(cal) experiment with teaching dogs to…
- Why We Do What We Do
205 | 1847: A Cannibal Story
This is an exploration of the "psychology" of the circumstances that lead to the decision to cannibalize others to survive. This large group of ambitious…
Why We Do What We Do204 | Book Cover Judgement
Coined by psychologist Edward Thorndike in 1920, “The Halo Effect” helps us explain how a strong first impression or perceived relation among characteristics…
Why We Do What We Do203 | While We Were Sleeping
Science doesn't really know why sleepwalking occurs. We know it has something to do with certain parts of our brain. What we understand about psychology…
Why We Do What We Do202 | Extreme Altruism
In just the last couple of decades, people have started anonymously donated organs to strangers. In this episode, we tell the story of two people who decided…
Why We Do What We Do201 | 10 Ways To Ruin Your Sleep
Are you one of those people who has trouble falling or staying asleep? There are things you might be doing to make it worse. Tossing and turning, the snooze…
Why We Do What We Do200 | Our Oldest Episode Yet
What do our old friend Stu Law, our writers, Ryan O'Donnell, Matt Cicoria of the Behavioral Observations Podcast, Salena Schilling, and our composer have in…
Why We Do What We Do199 | Teaching Prejudice
In 1968, an Iowa teacher named Jane Elliott created a powerful lesson demonstrating the effects of prejudice with a classroom of white children, in an effort…
Why We Do What We Do198 | Rebels and Iconoclasts
Why we punk rock? Counter-cultures and sub-cultures are a fascinating evolution in the social dynamics of a society when a population reaches a threshold that…
Why We Do What We Do197 | I Was Just Following Orders
Within certain communities that contain a hierarchal structure, most notably the military, the existence of an authoritative figure has a unique effect on…
Why We Do What We Do196 | A Name Eman a
The human tendency to use language to name things is remarkably important and foundational. While we don't delve into the incredibly deep and nerdy philosophy…
Why We Do What We Do195 | Yoga na Love This
Yoga is extremely old but likely began in central Asia thousands of years ago. There are certainly health benefits, and possibly psychological benefits. There…
Why We Do What We Do194 | Canceled
We are not canceled! Or at least we hope not. But this is a discussion about cancel culture. Where it comes from, why we do, and what purpose does it serve?…
Why We Do What We Do193 | Character v Circumstance
Another one of those pesky human biases. Or maybe westerner biases. Fundamental attribution error is the tendency to interpret our own behavior as being due to…
Why We Do What We Do192 | The new ABA & OT Podcast
A behavior analyst (ABA) and an occupational therapist shared a love of precision teaching. They decided to collaborate to use the benefits of both approaches…
Why We Do What We Do191 | Don't Trust Your Common Sense
Common sense is what you don't have to think about. It's just intuitively right. Another name for our base reaction to things without thinking first is human…
Why We Do What We Do190 | Why We Believe in Money
When was the last time you thought about money? Chances are pretty recently, if not right before you read this. If you weren’t thinking about money…
Why We Do What We Do189 | Conversion "Therapy" is a No
Conversion "therapy" is predicated on the wrongheaded idea that (a) there is something wrong with people of non-traditional binary sexual identity or…