A you prepare for your fall semester, I'd like to recommend that the podcast I host may prove of interest to both you and your students. I taught psychology for over 10 years and I developed my podcast, "The Psych Files" (http://www.thepsychfiles.com) specifically for students and teachers of psychology. Episodes are typically 20-25 minutes and each topic maps directly to a specific topic, chapter, or current event in the field of psychology. In addition to the podcast, the website contains references to articles, downloadable concept maps, teaching suggestions and interactive quizzes. The podcast is free (and commercial free) and can be easily subscribed to in iTunes. New episodes are released at least every 2 weeks.
Since most of our students today have iPods and other portable devices capable of playing media, why not have them use these devices to listen to and learn about psychology and see how psychological theories affect their daily lives? Here is a list of the episodes and how they map to psychological topics. If you think your students would find this podcast helpful, please feel free to give them the web address. Topics from The Psych Files Research: How consumer psychologists use research methods to understand and manipulate buyers. http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/05/03/episode-13-big-brother-what-your-gro cery-store-knows-about-you/ How Popper's concept of falsifiability can help students understand the difference between popular and scientific predictions: http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/02/11/episode-3-predictions-predictions/ Developmental: A walk through Erikson's stages, with audio clips from people in each stage (including John Wayne): http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/07/09/episode-20-eriksons-eight-stages-of- life/ Biological: A discussion of the neuron, some parts of the brain, and changes in the brain that correspond with Erikson's stages of development. http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/08/11/episode-24-the-brains-behind-erikson -part-2/ http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/08/11/episode-24-the-brains-behind-erikson -part-3/ Social: A review of the Robber's Cave experiment and its implications for conflict resolution http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/06/27/episode-20-conflict-resolution-a-cla ssic-psychological-study/ Revisit the Personal Space Invasions study conducted in 1976 in which men were observed as they stood at the urinal. http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/05/22/episode-16-theyre-at-it-again-my-fav orite-weird-psychology-studies/ An introduction to cognitive dissonance theory: http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/03/20/episode-8-why-do-contradictions-both er-us-so-much-cognitive-dissonance-in-everyday-life/ Explore the controversy surrounding the blaming the victim controversy: http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/03/11/episode-7-blaming-the-victim-and-oth er-biases/ Therapy: An exploration of EMDR (eye movement desensitization and Reprocessing) http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/06/19/episode-19-eye-movement-desensitizat ion-and-reprocessing-an-interview-with-jamie-oneil/ While no one can tell students which therapeutic approach is best for them, here is a discussion of guidelines proposed by Dr. Robert Langs to help people evaluate whether or not therapy is likely to be effective: http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/04/25/episode-12-the-necessity-of-maintain ing-the-frame-in-psychotherapy/ The field of psychology is currently in a stage referred to as "positive psychology", but can this idea go to far? Take a critical look at "The Secret" and "The Law of Attraction": http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/03/04/the-negative-side-of-positive-thinki ng/ A review of Freud's psychological defense mechanisms: http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/02/25/episode-5-in-defense-of-defense-mech anisms/ Learning: Explore how reinforcement principles can be used to explain even superstitious behavior like our actions in the bowling alley. http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/04/18/episode-11-what-does-your-bowling-st yle-say-about-you/ An explanation with examples of positive and negative reinforcement and punishment (including a 3D Concept map): http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/02/11/episode-2-rewards-and-punishments/ Motivation: A review if Equity theory: how it works and how thoughts about fairness affect our work motivation. http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/05/19/episode-15-its-not-fair-equity-in-li fe-and-work/ Personality: A discussion of the concept of self-esteem http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2007/03/30/episode-9-how-do-you-really-raise-se lf-esteem-the-incredibles-vs-american-idol/ Sorry for the long post, but I really do believe that the podcast is unique and will be of interest to you and your students. Michael Britt [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.thepsychfiles.com --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
