Psych

Chapter 6: Language

April 10th, 2023  |  1 hr 14 mins

david pizarro, development, intro psych, introduction to psychology, language, paul bloom

In this episode Paul and David discuss another of Paul's area of expertise--language. What is language? Do any animals have it? How does it develop (and how do children learn it so fast)? Why do children learn nouns sooner than they learn verbs and adjectives? How much does language shape thought?

Chapter 5: Piaget and Development

April 3rd, 2023  |  57 mins 15 secs

david pizarro, development, developmental psychology, intro psych, introduction to psychology, jean piaget, paul bloom

Paul and David discuss the influential developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, his theories and legacy, stage theories of development, modern developmental psychology and its methods, and the "nature vs nurture" debate.

Chapter 4: B.F. Skinner and Behaviorism

March 27th, 2023  |  1 hr 8 mins

b.f. skinner, behaviorism, david pizarro, intro psych, introduction to psychology, paul bloom

Slot machines, phobias and superstitions, dog training techniques, cures for insomnia... behaviorism has something to say about all of these (and much more!). The scope and ambition of B.F. Skinner's behaviorism rivals that of Freud's--except Skinner wanted nothing to do with the "mind" (or anything else he couldn't observe in a lab). How successful was this program of research? What did it get wrong? Is everything learned through mere associations and reinforcement? And where do Paul and David stand on the big debate between nativism (the idea that the mind comes equipped with knowledge) and empiricism (the idea that all knowledge comes from experience?

Read the book that inspired the podcast: "Psych: The Story of the Human Mind" [amazon.com]

Email us with your psychology questions for a future episode!: askpsychpod@gmail.com