EPISODE 11: CULTS & PERSUASION

Persuasion and cults seem to go hand-in-hand. Campaigns to convert people to religious and political movements have always used control techniques, but whether or not cult leaders use coercive persuasion is hotly debated. This episode examines the use of persuasion in cult indoctrination - or step one in building a cult.

(The second episode in a two-part persuasion suite) 

SHOW SOURCES & SUPPLEMENTALS

• The Utilization of Hypnotic Techniques in Religious Cult Conversion, Jesse S. Miller, 1986

• The Limits of "Coercive Persuasion" as an Explanation for Conversion to Authoritarian Sects, Thomas Robbins & Dick Anthony, 1980

EPISODE 10: PERSUASION

Why are some people better at convincing others to see the world their way? As far as psychology is concerned, it has a lot to do with the ability that some people or groups have to successfully convince - or persuade - others of their perspective. But what is persuasion and how does it work? How can we use persuasion to get what we want, and is it possible to protect ourselves from being persuaded?

(The first episode in a two-part persuasion suite) 

SHOW SOURCES & SUPPLEMENTALS

• The Influence of Source Credibility on Communication Effectiveness, Carl Hovland & Walter Weis, 1951-52

• Similarity in the Influence Process: The Belief-Value Distinction, George R. Goethals & R. Eric Nelson, 1973

• Communicator Physical Attractiveness and Persuasion, Shelly Chaiken, 1979

• The Need for Cognition, John T. Cacioppo & Richard E. Petty, 1982

• The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion, Richard E. Petty & John T. Cacioppo, 1986

• A Meta-Analysis of Humor Effects in Advertising, Martin Eisend, 2007

EPISODE 9: KILLER PROFILE

Is it possible to catch the criminal by studying the crime? How much can we rely on science to stop murder? Join us as we trace the history of criminal profiling from Jack the Ripper to the Olympic Bomber and explore the potential benefits - and pitfalls - of using psychology to track killers.

SHOW SOURCES & SUPPLEMENTALS

• Dr. Thomas Bond's Jack the Ripper profile and other reports, 1888

• The Mad Bomber confession, 1957

EPISODE 8: THE EXORCISM OF ANNELIESE MICHEL

In honor of the Halloween season, we are bringing you a mini-episode: a case study of a real-life horror story, caught inextricably in the thin net that separates the old world of religion and faith from today’s understanding of science and psychology. So dim the lights, light a candle, and settle in for the sad and harrowing tale of the exorcism of Anneliese Michel.

SHOW SOURCES & SUPPLEMENTALS

• Real audio from the exorcism of Anneliese Michel (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT)

• The Exorcism House, Helmut Reister, Abendzeitung, June 16, 2013

EPISODE 7: THE INSANITY DEFENSE

Who is sane and who is not? What exactly is an insanity plea? Can you be too insane to be guilty of a crime? Join us as we explore three major cases behind America’s hotly-debated insanity defense. 

SHOW SOURCES & SUPPLEMENTALS

• United Kingdom House of Lords Decisions, M'Naghten's Case, 1843

• Durham v. United States, 1954

• Myth of the 'Twinkie defense,' C. Pogash, 2003

• The Twinkie Defense - Explained, Dr. Martin Blinder

• Guilty but Mentally Ill (GBMI) vs. Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI): An Annotated Bibliography, J. Kutys & J. Esterman, 2009

EPISODE 6: YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC

Music has a powerful effect on humans. Across time, cultures, and age, it is a constant presence, and the physiological impacts it has are practically universal, from heart rate to blood flow to memory recall. So much action in the body, caused by something that effectively exists only our minds...

SHOW SOURCES & SUPPLEMENTALS

• Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music, V. N. Salimpoor, M. Benovoy, K. Larcher, A. Dagher & R. J. Zatorre, 2011

EPISODE 5: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LOBOTOMY

People have been drilling into each other's heads as a form of medicine for millennia, but in the 19th and 20th centuries, the procedure of psychosurgery was taken to new levels of efficiency and popularity. Come learn about the rise and fall of the lobotomy and its main champion, Walter Freeman.

SHOW SOURCES & SUPPLEMENTALS

• Transorbital Lobotomy, Walter Freeman (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT)

EPISODE 4: SOLDIER'S HEART

Throughout time, the lasting effects of trauma have been called many things: "nostalgia," "soldier's heart," "shell shock," "combat fatigue."  Today, we use the seemingly more scientific term "post-traumatic stress disorder," but what exactly is PTSD and how is it defined and diagnosed by psychologists?

SHOW SOURCES & SUPPLEMENTALS

• Henry IV, W. Shakespeare, 1597

• A Contribution to the Study of Shell Shock, C. S. Myers, 1915

• War Neuroses and Shell Shock, F. W. Mott, 1919

• Studies of Interference in Serial Verbal Reactions, J. R. Stroop, 1935

• Performance of children and adolescents with PTSD on the Stroop color-naming task, A. R. Moradi, M. R. Taghavi, H. T. Neshat Doost, W. Yule & T. Dalgleish, 1999

EPISODE 3: HYPNOSIS ON TRIAL

What is hypnosis and does it have a place in our legal system? For over 100 years, the debate has raged on. Join us for a journey through the fascinating history of hypnotism in the courts.

SHOW SOURCES & SUPPLEMENTALS

• Bonus Materials: Chowchilla kidnapping, State v. Hurd & People v. Shirley

• A Quantitative Study of Pain and its Reduction Through Hypnotic Suggestion, E. R. Hilgard, 1967

• Ebanks Pays the Penalty, San Francisco Call, Volume 83, Number 179, May 28, 1898

• Harding v. State, 1968

• Rock v. Arkansas, 1987

EPISODE 2: DEVIL TOWN

Many people are familiar with the term "Satanic Panic," but most have no idea about the bizarre role that psychology played in the widespread mayhem that erupted in the 1980s and 90s.

(The second episode in the two-part false memory suite) 

SHOW SOURCES & SUPPLEMENTALS

• Consequences of False Confessions: Deprivations of Liberty and Miscarriages of Justice in the Age of Psychological Interrogation, R. A. Leo & R. J. Ofshe, 1998

• Frontline: The Search for Satan, 1995

EPISODE 1: WHOSE MEMORY IS THIS, ANYWAY?

We rely on our memories to orient ourselves in time and space. But what if your memories are unreliable? Or worse, what if it is possible for someone else to implant false memories in your mind?

(The first episode in a two-part false memory suite) 

SHOW SOURCES & SUPPLEMENTALS

• The Formation of False Memory, aka "Lost in a Shopping Mall," E. F. Loftus & J. E. Pickerell, 1995

• Reconstruction of Automobile Destruction: An Example of the Interaction Between Language and Memory, E. F. Loftus & J. C. Palmer, 1974

• Repeatedly Thinking About a Non-Event, aka "the Mousetrap Study," S. J. Ceci, M. L. C. Huffman & E. Smith, 1994