What happens when people gather in crowds – whether for political rallies, protests, football games or religious pilgrimages? Stephen Reicher, PhD, of St. Andrew’s University in Scotland, discusses why “mob mentality” is a myth; other misconceptions about crowd behavior; the role of leaders in groups and what can we learn from re-examining some classic psych ... Show More
Apr 15
Tip or skip? What drives our tipping behavior, with Michael Lynn, PhD
Tipping has long been a part of service culture in the U.S., but in the last few years, the number of places where we're asked to tip has multiplied. Social psychologist and tipping researcher Michael Lynn, PhD, discusses “tip creep” and how digital payment screens are reshaping ... Show More
26m 22s
Apr 8
The psychology of spending, debt and budgeting, with Abigail Sussman, PhD
Buy now, pay later plans have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, adding yet another variable to consider when making spending decisions. Abigail Sussman, PhD, discusses the psychological biases that influence how we spend, budget and borrow, including why splitting paymen ... Show More
34m 14s
Apr 1
Why babies laugh, with Gina Mireault, PhD
Before babies have the words to tell us what they're thinking, they can laugh. Developmental psychologist Gina Mireault, PhD, explains how she sets up a “baby comedy club” in her lab; what babies find funny and why; when babies start trying to make other people laugh; and what st ... Show More
29m 21s
Dec 2023
The impact of bad news, compassion fatigue, and the psychology of whistleblowing
Increasing numbers of people are avoiding the news, and a recent update to Ipsos’s Global Trends 2023 report has found that the current state of the world is causing people to focus on their own lives, rather than broader, global problems. Mike Clemence, associate director of tre ... Show More
27m 59s
Dec 2020
John Campbell, "Causation in Psychology" (Harvard UP, 2020)
Our practices of holding people morally and legally responsible for what they do rests on causal relationships between our mental states and our actions – a desire for revenge or a fear for one’s safety may cause a violent act. In either case, John Campbell argues, there is a psy ... Show More
1h 7m
May 2021
The psychology of post-pandemic life — why you might feel anxious about re-entry
Feeling anxious about re-entering society when pandemic restrictions are lifted? Or maybe you're feeling exuberant? Steven Taylor, author "The Psychology of Pandemics", and a professor and clinical psychologist in the department of psychiatry at UBC, walks us through the psycholo ... Show More
22m 17s
Oct 2023
Sikhism, Values, & Imposter Syndrome in Psychology with Dr Gurpreet Kaur
Show Notes for The Aspiring Psychologist Podcast Episode 96: On being a Sikh, Imposter Syndrome, and therapeutic relationships with Dr Gurpreet KaurThank you for listening to the Aspiring Psychologist Podcast. We are almost midway through application season – I hope this is going ... Show More
49m 44s