Neuro Transmission Podcast Station

Episode 5, Part 2 Why should we teach Epigenetics in Intro Psych? Many Intro Psych faculty feel like teaching epigenetics takes them outside of their comfort zone, but this podcast not only makes a case for why we need to teach it but also how someone unfamiliar with genetics can come up to speed quickly. Epigenetics helps us explain why psychologists no longer say nature VERSUS nurture, but rather talk about nature and nurture as constantly interacting. Engaging examples of epigenetics, such as the effects of the plastic additive BPA, can help make this topic resonate with students. Guest Biography: Laura A. Freberg (Ph.D., UCLA) is Professor of Psychology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she teaches courses in Introductory Psychology, Biological Psychology, and Sensation and Perception. Laura’s teaching career began when she taught her first college course at Pasadena City College at the age of 23. To better understand the needs of the online education community, she also teaches a variety of psychology courses for Argosy University Online. Laura has received Faculty Member of the Year recognition from Cal Poly Disabilities Resource Center three times (1991, 1994, and 2009) for her work with students with disabilities. She enjoys using technology and social media in the classroom, and is a Google Glass Explorer. Laura serves as the Content Expert Writer for Psychology for Answers.com and as the Bylaws and Archives Committee Chair for the Society for Social Neuroscience. She is a member of the editorial board for Leadership Quarterly. With John Cacioppo of the University of Chicago, she is the co-author of two editions of Discovering Psychology: The Science of Mind (Cengage Learning).

Episode 5, Part 1 What is love? This question is usually asked by poets, playwrights, and other artists, but today’s neuroscientists have a lot to say about the matter, too. This podcast looks at how the brain distinguishes between liking, love, and sexual desire, and why we are attracted to “that special someone” out of the billions of people on the planet. Once a relationship happens, though, it’s just as important to see what psychological sciences says about what makes it keep going. What factors distinguish between happy couples and couples unlikely to stay together? In this podcast, Laura Freberg discusses the psychological and biological aspects of falling in love, and sheds some light on what’s really going on when we meet someone and say “wow!” Guest Biography: Laura A. Freberg (Ph.D., UCLA) is Professor of Psychology at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she teaches courses in Introductory Psychology, Biological Psychology, and Sensation and Perception. Laura’s teaching career began when she taught her first college course at Pasadena City College at the age of 23. To better understand the needs of the online education community, she also teaches a variety of psychology courses for Argosy University Online. Laura has received Faculty Member of the Year recognition from Cal Poly Disabilities Resource Center three times (1991, 1994, and 2009) for her work with students with disabilities. She enjoys using technology and social media in the classroom, and is a Google Glass Explorer. Laura serves as the Content Expert Writer for Psychology for Answers.com and as the Bylaws and Archives Committee Chair for the Society for Social Neuroscience. She is a member of the editorial board for Leadership Quarterly. With John Cacioppo of the University of Chicago, she is the co-author of two editions of DiscoveringPsychology: The Science of Mind (Cengage Learning).

Episode 4, Part 2 Do you want to be happy? Of course you do. But what makes people happy? Is it wealth?   Health? Marriage? Purpose in life? All of the above? Psychology was slow to the party when it came to studying what makes people happy. It wasn’t until the 1990s with the emergence of a new movement in psychology, called positive psychology, that serious research attention was focused on understanding the factors contributing to human happiness and well-being. Positive psychology was a dramatic shift within psychology from focusing on understanding human deficits or problems, like drug abuse and psychological disorders, to exploring human virtues and assets, such as helping behavior, love, and happiness. What these researchers discovered about happiness may surprise you. Tune in to find out more! Guest Biography: Dr. Jeffrey Nevid is Professor of Psychology at St. John’s University in New York. He received his doctorate from the State University of New York at Albany and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in evaluation research at Northwestern University.He has accrued more than 200 research publications and professional presentations and is the author or coauthor of more than a dozen textbooks and other books in psychology and related fields. Dr. Nevid has conducted research in many areas of psychology, including health psychology, clinical and community psychology, social psychology, gender and human sexuality, adolescent development, and teaching of psychology. His research publications have appeared in such journals as Health Psychology, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Journal of Community Psychology, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Behavior Therapy, Psychology and Marketing, Professional Psychology, Teaching of Psychology, Sex Roles, and Journal of Social Psychology. Dr. Nevid also served as Editorial Consultant for the journals Health Psychology and Psychology and Marketing and as Associate Editor for the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. He is actively involved in conducting research on pedagogical advances to help students succeed in their courses.

Episode 4, Part 1 Students often say that they spend many hours reading their textbooks and attending classes, but their grades don’t reflect the work that they do. Success is not simply a function of the time you put into your courses, but how well you use that time. Developing more effective study skills can help you become a more effective learner and get the most from your courses. In this podcast, psychologist Jeff Nevid shows how effective learning is a skill you can acquire that will help you ace that test. Guest Biography: Dr. Jeffrey Nevid is Professor of Psychology at St. John’s University in New York. He received his doctorate from the State University of New York at Albany and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in evaluation research at Northwestern University. He has accrued more than 200 research publications and professional presentations and is the author or coauthor of more than a dozen textbooks and other books in psychology and related fields. Dr. Nevid has conducted research in many areas of psychology, including health psychology, clinical and community psychology, social psychology, gender and human sexuality, adolescent development, and teaching of psychology. His research publications have appeared in such journals as Health Psychology, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Journal of Community Psychology, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Behavior Therapy, Psychology and Marketing, Professional Psychology, Teaching of Psychology, Sex Roles, and Journal of Social Psychology. Dr. Nevid also served as Editorial Consultant for the journals Health Psychology and Psychology and Marketing and as Associate Editor for the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. He is actively involved in conducting research on pedagogical advances to help students succeed in their courses.

Episode 3, Part 2 E-portfolios have become popular in recent years. Tune in to learn about e-portfolio assignments and their benefits and challenges for both professors and students. Guest Biography: Tanya Martini obtained her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Toronto and is a Professor of Psychology at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. In addition to introductory psychology, she also teaches research methods and a capstone course designed to facilitate graduating students’ understanding of career-related skills. She was awarded the Brock University Distinguished Teaching Award and currently holds the Chancellor’s Chair for Teaching Excellence. Dr. Martini’s research explores skill-based learning outcomes in post-secondary education, and her most recent work has investigated students’ views concerning skill-based learning across their degree program. She has a particular interest in students’ ability to articulate the competencies that underlie skills such as critical thinking and collaboration, and their ability to recognize how university assignments foster transferable skills that are of interest to employers.

Episode 3, Part 1 Skills-based learning is an important part of what is being fostered during your Psychology degree, but for many undergraduates it is not “front and center.” Instead, students tend to focus their attention on the subject matter when they take courses; that is, they’re much more concerned with course content (what’s written in the textbook, or presented in lecture) than they are with transferable job-related skills. Tune in to find out how your skills in Psychology translate to the job market! Guest Biography: Tanya Martini obtained her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Toronto and is a Professor of Psychology at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. In addition to introductory psychology, she also teaches research methods and a capstone course designed to facilitate graduating students’ understanding of career-related skills. She was awarded the Brock University Distinguished Teaching Award and currently holds the Chancellor’s Chair for Teaching Excellence. Dr. Martini’s research explores skill-based learning outcomes in post-secondary education, and her most recent work has investigated students’ views concerning skill-based learning across their degree program. She has a particular interest in students’ ability to articulate the competencies that underlie skills such as critical thinking and collaboration, and their ability to recognize how university assignments foster transferable skills that are of interest to employers.

Episode 2, Part 2 Psychology is the most popular major in the country, but what can I do with my major if I do not go to grad school? How can I find my career path and maximize the skills I developed through out my time studying Psychology? Tune in to find out more! Guest Biography: Ellen E. Pastorino (Ph.D. in School Psychology, Florida State University) is a developmental psychologist who teaches psychology classes at Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Pastorino has won numerous teaching awards, including the University of Georgia, Board of Regents Distinguished Professor; the NISOD Excellence in Teaching Award; and Valencia’s Teaching and Learning Excellence Award.She also serves as a reviewer for the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching. Dr. Pastorino has authored test banks, instructor manuals, and student study guides, and has published research in the Journal of Adolescent Research and Adolescence. While working as a consultant for IBM Corporation she developed numerous educational materials for teachers and students.

Episode 2, Part 1 Psychology is the most popular major in the country, but what should you do when you finish your undergrad? What are some of the facts around majoring in Psychology? What are the myths? Tune in and learn what you can do with a Psychology degree after you graduate. In this podcast we will cover what skills matter and how you can achieve your goals. Tune in to find out more! Guest Biography: Ellen E. Pastorino (Ph.D. in School Psychology, Florida State University) is a developmental psychologist who teaches psychology classes at Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Pastorino has won numerous teaching awards, including the University of Georgia, Board of Regents Distinguished Professor; the NISOD Excellence in Teaching Award; and Valencia’s Teaching and Learning Excellence Award. She also serves as a reviewer for the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching. Dr. Pastorino has authored test banks, instructor manuals, and student study guides, and has published research in the Journal of Adolescent Research and Adolescence. While working as a consultant for IBM Corporation she developed numerous educational materials for teachers and students.

Episode 1, Part 2 Sexual activity is often regarded as among the most private of activities, negotiated by two individuals on the basis of their own individual desires and values. Idealistic treatments describe the two individuals as potentially equal and interchangeable. In this podcast, we discuss sexual negotiations in the context of a cultural system in which men and women play different roles resembling buyer and seller—in a marketplace that is ineluctably affected! Tune in to hear more on this episode of, The Neuro Transmission! Guest Biography: Roy F. Baumeister is currently the Eppes Eminent Scholar and Professor of Psychology at Florida State University. He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from Princeton in 1978 and did a postdoctoral fellowship in sociology at the University of California at Berkeley. He spent over two decades at Case WesternReserve University.  He has also worked at the University of Texas, the University of Virginia, the Max-Planck-Institute, the VU Free University of Amsterdam, the University of California at Santa Barbara, the Russell Sage Foundation, the University of Bamberg (Germany), and Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in the BehavioralSciences. Baumeister’s research spans multiple topics, including self and identity, self-regulation, interpersonal rejection and the need to belong, sexuality and gender, aggression, self-esteem, meaning, and self-presentation.

Episode 1, Part 1 In part one of this episode of The Neuro Transmission, we explore surprising experimental effects relating to the power of the human need to belong. Guest Biography: Roy F. Baumeister is currently the Eppes Eminent Scholar and Professor of Psychology at Florida State University. He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from Princeton in 1978 and did a postdoctoral fellowship in sociology at the University of California at Berkeley. He spent over two decades at Case Western Reserve University.  He has also worked at the University of Texas, the University of Virginia, the Max-Planck-Institute, the VU Free University of Amsterdam, the University of California at Santa Barbara, the Russell Sage Foundation, the University of Bamberg (Germany), and Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in the BehavioralSciences. Baumeister’s research spans multiple topics, including self and identity, self-regulation, interpersonal rejection and the need to belong, sexuality and gender, aggression, self-esteem, meaning, and self-presentation.