E248: Steve Most: Flow state, mentor, scholar, curiosity, and gorillas

In this episode Garth interviews Danae Hudson from Missouri State University in Springfield, MO for a Part 3 interview. At NITOP 2026, they revisit their 2022 podcast conversation to discuss how classrooms and roles have changed since COVID. Hudson describes teaching large Intro Psych sections (330 students), smaller Abnormal Psych classes, and doctoral courses, noting post-COVID struggles in student adjustment and DFW rates, but some recent movement toward greater preparedness and reduced anxiety. They explore how COVID forced course redesign, current students' desire for more in-person study sessions, and the challenge of assessing learning amid widespread AI use and online degree options. Garth explains cutting Intro Psych content to prioritize meaningful, communicative assessments. Hudson proposes surveying Abnormal Psych students to form AI-mixed study groups and share effective tools. They also discuss boundaries with institutional demands and Hudson's work as STP VP of Membership, building pathways from graduate to late-career involvement and suggesting ways to get involved via STP resources, committees, and task forces. [Note: Portions of the show notes were generated by Descript AI.]

In this (RE-RELEASE) episode, Garth and Eric—joined by guest host John Batson—interview the late Charles Brewer of Furman University. A towering and beloved figure in the teaching of psychology, Charles reflects on his remarkable career, including his work as a John B. Watson scholar, his 12 years as editor of Teaching of Psychology, his role at the very first AP Psychology Reading, and his service on APA Boards and Council. His legacy continues to shape the field and the many educators and students he inspired. Note. Portions of the show notes were generated by AI.

In this episode Garth interviews Steve Most from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Steve shares his approach to navigating the two-body academic problem with his wife, which has led to dual jobs in Sydney and continued adjunct affiliation with the University of Delaware. He describes early uncertainty about research, influential mentors, and how Dan Simons' visual cognition work and the "gorilla" selective attention task reshaped his interests, highlighting inattentional blindness and the role of attention in shaping conscious experience. He outlines his research on emotion-induced blindness and a newer program on effort aversion, including links to students' Psych 1 grades and planned applications to critical thinking and entrepreneurship. They discuss AI as cognitive offloading versus "desirable difficulties," his TEDx card-change demonstration, and his co-authored Oxford cognition textbook, emphasizing story-driven, real-world examples and interdisciplinary connections. [Note. Portions of the show notes were generated by Descript AI.]

In this RE-RELEASE episode Eric chats with Wayne Weiten (UNLV) about his career, retiring from teaching in 2021, and continuing as a leading intro psych textbook author. From a "go it alone" mindset to shaping future instructors, Wayne reflects on the experiences and influences that defined his impact—including contributions to the Society for the Teaching of Psychology.

In this episode at NITOP 2026, Garth interviews Clara Cheng from Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA. Clara serves as the STP vice president of resources, which includes the journal Teaching of Psychology, peer-reviewed syllabi, wikis, the Idea Exchange, best-practices activities, Psychology in Communities, the teachpsych.org website, and free eBooks. Chang shares her background (born in Hong Kong, moved to Toronto in grade 6), studying at University of Toronto (switching from commerce to psychology), grad school at Ohio State in social cognition, work at American University, and 15 years at Carlow, where she teaches statistics and serves as undergraduate program director and interim associate dean for faculty professional development focused on mentorship and faculty support. [Note. Portions of the show notes were generated by Descript AI.]

In this sidebar episode Garth interviews Melissa Maffeo from Wake Forest University. They discuss Melissa's new book with Cambridge University Press, "The Science of the Supernatural: Critical Thinking for the Mind and Brain," which grew out of a Wake Forest special-topics course. Melissa explains anomalistic psychology's skeptical, research-methods approach in contrast to parapsychology, and outlines book chapters on the neurobiology and psychology of fear, why people seek scary experiences, ghosts and electromagnetic fluctuations, nighttime phenomena like sleep paralysis, alien abduction and false memory, psychics and tarot (including her own reading), psychedelics and mystical experiences, and "real" supernatural-seeming cases like rabies, toxoplasmosis, and "zombies." She discusses her own nonbeliever perspective, a memorable coincidence from a paranormal investigation, intended broad accessibility and course use, where to buy the book, attending ACT, and advice for aspiring authors. [Note. Portions of the show notes were generated by Descript AI.]

In this RE-RELEASE episode Garth interviews Elizabeth Loftus from the University of California, Irvine in Irvine, CA. It was a Psychology Today magazine article in 1974 that launched her public fame, and her eyewitness testimony and false memory work have lasting influence. She is a world-renown expert who has experienced cancel culture, death threats, but also induction into the National Academy of Sciences. Elizabeth discusses the current state of misinformation, challenges in solving the two-body problem, and more.

In this episode Garth interviews Beth Schwartz from the American Psychological Association in Washington, DC at NITOP 2026. Beth describes her role supporting psychology teaching through faculty resources, policy, and curriculum work with governance groups (CABE and TOPSS), and a focus on student success and accessibility, within APA's reorganized cross-area "psychology team" that reduces silos. She discusses learning APA's internal structure, collaborating with Division 2 (STP), and plans to broaden engagement with large universities via a new advisory group. Key upcoming priorities include AI workshops and updating resources like the Skillful Psychology Student. Schwartz recounts her career from first-generation student to faculty and administrative roles, provost positions, and a remote transition to APA, which she finds less crisis-driven and more aligned with her passion for psychology education. [Note: Portions of the show notes were generated with Descript AI.]

In this RE-RELEASE episode Dr. Jane Halonen joins Garth Neufeld to discuss her decades-long career in psychology education. From overcoming a fear of public speaking to mentoring generations of teachers, Jane reflects on her path from clinical psychology to teaching, her experiences as a woman in 1970s academia, and her transformative years at Alverno College's performance-based curriculum. Jane illustrates what she calls "the magic of teaching" and emphasizes the importance of finding supportive communities and building meaningful connections with students.

In this episode Garth interviewed Krisstal Clayton from the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. Krisstal shares how heavy workloads, commuting, work, and caregiving contribute to students' AI use and argues for explicitly teaching AI literacy, its limits, and responsible use. She describes building connection and engagement in a 210-student lecture hall through weekly team activities, team exams, and gamified, real-world assignments (including an ultra-processed "Texas State Fair food" concept-mapping activity). She explains her approach to required reading, attendance-based course design, and Sage Vantage quizzes to track learning and spot irregularities. She also discusses becoming first author on a new edition of an Intro Psych textbook, what pedagogical features they kept ("What's Your Prediction?" and applied examples), and updates she "went hard" on, including a methods-focused chapter, mindfulness and wellness content, and topics driven by student needs (sleep, social media/mental health, vaping, neurodiversity). [Note. Portions of the show notes were generated by Descript AI.]