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The podcast of the Association for Psychological Science. What does science tell us about the way we think, behave, and learn about the world around us?
Under the Cortex is proudly sponsored by Macmillan Learning Psychology, where captivating content meets genuine engagement. Our authors, who are seasoned educators, understand today’s teaching challenges. We aim to craft and present both information and interactive tools that truly connect with students. Whether in-person or online, we support instructors and inspire students. Macmillan Learning Psychology: Engaging Every Student, Supporting Every Instructor, Setting New Standards for Teaching and Learning.
Under the Cortex is proudly sponsored by Macmillan Learning Psychology, where captivating content meets genuine engagement. Our authors, who are seasoned educators, understand today’s teaching challenges. We aim to craft and present both information and interactive tools that truly connect with students. Whether in-person or online, we support instructors and inspire students. Macmillan Learning Psychology: Engaging Every Student, Supporting Every Instructor, Setting New Standards for Teaching and Learning.
152 Episodes
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From the earliest months of life, we rely on faces to help us navigate the world. They tell us who’s safe, who’s familiar, and whether they’re paying attention to us. But do our responses to faces develop gradually as our brains mature? Or are we born prewired to lock onto the human face. In this episode of Under the Cortex, cognitive scientists Rebecca Saxe of MIT and Heather Kosakowski of Harvard University join host Scott Sleek to discuss their groundbreaking findings, published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, about the development of the brain’s face-processing network.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org.
Under the Cortex is going on hiatus and won’t be recording new episodes for the foreseeable future. Explore our archive of 150 episodes filled with scientific insights, stories from editors and researchers, and conversations worth revisiting again and again!
Why do we avoid retracing our steps—even when it helps us reach our goals faster? In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer-Baum speaks with Kristine Cho and Clayton Critcher from the University of California, Berkeley about their latest research on doubling-back aversion: the tendency to resist more efficient paths if they require undoing prior effort.
Across four studies involving performance tasks and virtual navigation, Kristine finds that people often choose less efficient strategies simply to avoid feeling like their past actions were a waste. This aversion, while related to the sunk-cost fallacy, has its own unique psychological fingerprint.
Tune in to learn how our perceptions of effort, progress, and meaning can lead us astray—even when we know better.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org.
Why do familiar experiences sometimes feel like they happened longer ago than they actually did?
In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer-Baum speaks with Brynn Sherman from the University of Pennsylvania about her recent study published in Psychological Science, the flagship journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Sherman's research uncovers a surprising illusion: repeated experiences, which are more vividly remembered, are often perceived as having occurred further in the past than they did.
Through a series of experiments, Sherman and her colleague Yousif demonstrate that this distortion in time perception is both robust and consistent, shedding light on how our memories can mislead us about the timing of events. Tune in to explore the mechanisms behind this illusion and its implications for our understanding of memory and time.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org.
How does your brain keep track of the people in your life—not just who they are, but where they are in relation to you and to each other?
In this episode of Under the Cortex, Özge Gürcanlı Fischer-Baum talks with Robert Chavez from the University of Oregon about his new findings published in Psychological Science, the flagship journal of the Association for Psychological Science. His research shows that our brains rely on two separate systems to encode person-knowledge: one that maps others in the broader world (allocentric), and another that maps them in relation to ourselves (egocentric).
Together, these systems help us organize social memory and navigate our relationships with others. Tune in to learn how the brain structures our social world—and why it matters.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org.
How do the roles of researcher and editor inform each other? What can this intersection tell us about the future of psychological science?
In this episode of Under the Cortex, Arturo Hernandez, Professor of Psychology at the University of Houston and editor for Perspectives on Psychological Science, joins host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum to reflect on the dynamic relationship between scientific discovery and scientific communication. Drawing from his research on bilingualism and brain plasticity, Hernandez shares how his experiences in the lab and at the editor’s desk have shaped his views on innovation, interdisciplinarity, and the evolving needs of the field.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org.
How do you design a study that captures human experience as it unfolds in real time? In this episode, Under the Cortex explores the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), a powerful approach for studying psychological processes. Host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer-Baum is joined by Jessica Fritz from Osnabruck University, and Marilyn Piccirillo from the Rutgers Addiction Research Center and Brain Health Institute, who are among the coauthors of a new article published in Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science. The paper outlines ten key design and implementation considerations for ESM studies, helping researchers apply this method with clarity, rigor, and real-world relevance.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org.
Why do some people struggle to control their actions when emotions run high? What happens in the brain when impulsive decisions take over? Why do some brains lose control under high arousal, while others stay composed?
In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer-Baum speaks with Matthew V. Elliott from the University of California at Berkeley. Elliott’s study published in APS’s journal Clinical Psychological Science explores the science of emotion-related impulsivity —a trait linked to psychiatric disorders, aggression, and even suicidality. Fischer Baum and Elliott discuss how a new model of brain function, the GANE model, helps explain why heightened physiological arousal makes it harder for some people to regulate their emotions, what norepinephrine does to “hotspot” brain regions, and what this means for mental health treatments.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org
Most linguistic datasets focus on written text, but what about the way we actually speak? TalkBank, the world’s largest open-access repository of spoken language, is helping researchers understand everything from child development to dementia, bilingualism, and even classroom learning.
In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Ozge Gurcanli Fischer Baum speaks with Brian MacWhinney from the Carnegie Mellon University, who recently published an article in APS’s journal Current Directions in Psychological Science. MacWhinney, the creator of TalkBank, highlights how spoken language research is transforming our understanding of psychology and communication. The conversation evolves into the discussion of the importance of open-access language databases, the role of AI in analyzing speech, and the future of spoken language research across cultures and disciplines.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org
Scientific credibility depends on valid research. But with growing concerns about replication failures and questionable research practices, how can scientists ensure their findings stand up to scrutiny?
In this episode, Under the Cortex explores the VALID checklist, a newly developed tool that helps researchers systematically assess the quality of their studies. Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum speaks with Susanne Kerschbaumer from the University of Vienna and asks how the checklist offers tailored guidance for different types of research designs. Kerschbaumer explains how the study published in APS’s journal Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science addresses this important issue. Together, they discuss why validity is more than just good methodology, how researchers can avoid common pitfalls, and what the future of scientific rigor looks like.
You can access the checklist using the following link: www.validchecklist.com
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org
Do young children prefer to rely on their memory, or do they take the easier route and use external aids like lists and reminders? How do they decide when to put in the mental effort and when to lean on available tools?
In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum teams up with Zsuzsa Kaldy from the University of Massachusetts Boston. They discuss Kaldy’s study published in APS’s journal Psychological Science addressing how children balance memory with external help. The conversation evolves into what these findings reveal about cognitive development, and cultural differences in learning.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org
Is there a single explanation that accounts for all addictive behaviors, or is the reality more complex? How can quantitative classification methods help uncover the nuances of substance dependence?
In this episode, APS's Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum speaks with Ashley Watts from Vanderbilt University about her recent research article in Clinical Psychological Science. They discuss how simple explanations to addictive behavior – like the General Addiction Liability theory – may be appealing for a unified treatment approach, but a deeper, more quantitively rich dive into the data draws a more heterogenous picture. The paper argues that addiction follows a more diverse pattern, and the conversation highlights what this approach to addiction means for future research and for treatment strategies.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org
Psychological research often focuses on disparities, but how do the populations studied impact the reliability of findings?
In this episode of Under the Cortex, Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum hosts Wen Wei Loh and Dongning Ren who recently published an article on this topic in APS’s journal Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science. They discuss how non-representative samples can influence study conclusions and highlight solutions for strengthening study validity.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org
Children often surprise us with the details they remember—sometimes even better than adults! But what if their ability to learn comes not from focus, but from a broader, less selective attention? This episode unpacks research showing that while adults learn best when paying attention, children (ages 7-9) absorb information just as well, even when it’s irrelevant to their task. Could this be the secret behind their incredible learning abilities?
In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum speaks with Marlie Tandoc from the University of Pennsylvania who recently published an article on learning and attention in APS’s journal Psychological Science. Together they discuss whether children’s weaker selective attention is a hidden strength by addressing findings on attention, memory, and childhood learning.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org
Although meditation apps are gaining popularity, a clear link between usage dosage and intervention outcomes has yet to be established.
In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum teams up with Simon Goldberg from the University of Wisconsin to explore a critical question: “How does the “dosage” of meditation app use impact mental health outcomes? Drawing from a randomized controlled trial with 662 participants published in APS’s journal Clinical Psychological Science, the conversation examines various ways to measure dosage and how these metrics relate to changes in psychological distress.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org.
As populations age, the need for informal caregivers is increasing. As individuals step up to provide care for loved ones in need, they face their own mental health challenges.
In this episode, Under the Cortex features Michael Kramer from the University of Zurich who recently published an article on this topic in APS’s journal Psychological Science. Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum starts the conversation with questions on the mental health decline of caregivers. Kramer highlights that caregiving doesn’t happen in isolation and discusses how contextual factors such as family conflicts and economic struggles play a significant role in the decline of overall well-being.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org.
How do the five love languages hold up to empirical research? How do psychological researchers feel about self-censorship? How does gender equality vary by country globally? Tune in to hear highlights from this year’s most popular research.
In this episode, APS's Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum and Hannah Brown take turns describing the most downloaded articles in 2024 from APS’s five major journals. Together, they discussed the topics researchers focused on, the findings they uncovered, and the unique approaches to psychological research they employed.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org
When children play, how do they develop the essential skill of cooperation? What methods do they use to solve complex problems while working in teams? How do they approach a threshold dilemma when their personal interests are at odds with the team’s objectives?
In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum speaks with Patricia Kanngiesser from the University of Plymouth. Kanngiesser, who is a cross-cultural and developmental psychologist, highlights the findings from a recent article in Psychological Science and discusses how children learn to navigate teamwork.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org.
What potential do everyday devices, like smartwatches, have in transforming the management and treatment of eating disorders?
In this episode, Under the Cortex explores how commonly used technology, such as heart rate monitors and step counters, can be used to understand binge-eating episodes. APS's Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum interviews Qinxin Shi from the University of Utah, whose research is featured in Clinical Psychological Science. Together, they discuss the potential implications of this innovative approach for identifying and treating eating disorders.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org
What drives the onset of alcohol dependence in midlife? How does it present unique challenges, and what strategies can help when it disrupts the lives of individuals and their families?
In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum speaks with Lara Khalifeh and Leah Richmond-Rakerd from the University of Michigan, authors of a recent article in Clinical Psychological Science. Together, they discuss the role of aging, life transitions, and retirement as possible contributors to the distinct profile of midlife-onset alcohol dependence.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org
How does the brain’s memory function change as we grow older? What recent discoveries are helping us understand these changes better?
In this episode of Under the Cortex, Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum welcomes Karen Campbell of Brock University to discuss how aging impacts memory. Campbell shares insights from her recent study in APS’s journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, exploring the hyber-binding hypothesis. The conversation delves into how the abundance of connections in older adults’ mental representations may contribute to memory challenges later in life.
If you're interested in learning more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.
Send us your thoughts and questions at underthecortex@psychologicalscience.org
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Really great content, but the presentation is so dry. The monotone, and uninterested speech patterns make you space out. But if you can muscle through and absorb the plain oatmeal words, then it is very interesting.