Understanding Our Place In The World

Our guest today is Dr Abigail Webb, a cognitive scientist at Essex. Much of Abigail's early work focused on facial expressions in the contexts of fear, threat, and attraction. Her more recent efforts are exploring the immersive potential of virtual reality in the context of theatre and the arts. We spoke with Abigail recently about a number of topics including the ‘can of worms’ that is evolutionary psychology and mate selection, as well as how – and if – virtual exposure to theatre can provide a meaningful experience for the viewers, and maybe even provide a much-needed lifeline for the struggling live arts industry. Host: Dr Philip Cozzolino

Our guest today is Dr Dawn Holford, a behavioural scientist at Essex. Dawn takes a cognitive and psycholinguistic approach to understand how individuals make sense of information presented numerically – such as in percentages – as opposed to information that is presented verbally or in written words. We spoke with Dawn recently about a number of topics including her work exploring the varied ways we respond to food labels and about her participation in an important endeavour to collate the best evidence and advice regarding the COVID-19 vaccine (you can access that work here: https://sks.to/c19vax). We also discussed the critical scientific process known as peer-review, and specifically Dawn's plans to train future scholars to develop review skills. Host: Dr Philip Cozzolino

Our guest today is Dr Marie Juanchich, a behavioural scientist at the University of Essex, with a PhD in socio-cognitive psychology. Over the past ten years, Marie’s work has been aimed at empowering people to make better decisions. This includes helping individuals to understand uncertainty and probabilities, and how that understanding can lead to changes in behaviour. Her work is also focused on reducing discrimination and on increasing diversity. We spoke with Marie recently about a number of topics including the thought-processes connected to beliefs in conspiracy theories and on the social-cognitive factors related to misogyny and to other forms of discrimination. Host: Dr Philip Cozzolino

Our guest today is Dr Vanessa Loaiza, a cognitive developmental psychologist at the University of Essex. Vanessa researches memory and complex cognition across the adult lifespan, with a particular interest in the processes that allow us to hold information our in minds from moment-to-moment and how we retrieve that information later on. We spoke with Vanessa recently about a number of topics including the surprising effect that distractions can have on our memories, as well as what we can do to enhance our memories. We even discussed memory processes related to the spreading of so-called ‘fake news’. Host: Dr Philip Cozzolino

Our guest today is Professor Silke Paulmann from the University of Essex. Silke explores the way we communicate emotions and attitudes via speech. Silke is also involved in research that attempts to answer how vocal emotions are communicated cross-culturally. Some of her recent work also explores how important psychological variables such as stress, power, and motivation can influence the emotions and the attitudes we communicate through our tone of voice. We spoke with Silke recently about her past and current work, and just how important it is for us to understand that, “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it." Host: Dr Philip Cozzolino

Our guest in this episode is Dr Pascal Vrticka. Pascal is a social neuroscientist at the University of Essex who investigates the behavioural, biological, and brain basis of human social interaction. Two main questions that Pascal pursues in his research are 1) how does the human brain process social (versus non-social) information, and 2) how do romantic partners and parents with their children get "in sync" with each other when they solve problems together or when they simply talk with each other. We spoke with Pascal recently about his work and on a range of topics from the social neuroscience evidence showing just how important social connections are for humans, to how we can cope and adapt in a world that – at least for now – requires us to distance ourselves from those important social connections. Host: Dr Philip Cozzolino

Our guest on this episode is Dr Eva Gutierrez. Eva is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Essex who studies communication, with a particular focus on how atypical language development, as a result of early-onset deafness, impacts language and reading skills. We spoke with Eva recently about her work and on a range of topics from sign language to the communication challenges faced by individuals who are deaf and by people who are hearing impaired. We also discussed the difficulties (and the potential solutions) we all face in communicating clearly during a time of face masks and social distancing. Host: Dr Philip Cozzolino

It's been called 'The Age of Outrage', often filled with hyper-partisan political debates on issues such as Brexit, immigration, systemic racism, and even on the brand of beans Americans choose to buy. But are the differences in our values and in our ideologies all that define us? Why do we spend less time on our many commonalities, and what would be the benefit of focusing more on those similarities? Is there anything that can be done to address the modern-day phenomenon known as 'cancel culture'? Our guest on this podcast is Dr Paul Hanel, a social psychologist at Essex, with a particular focus on values, and on political psychology. We spoke with Paul recently about his work on the differences and on the similarities that exist among individuals in society, despite a tendency for us to focus largely the differences. We also had a chat about ‘cancel culture’ – and the possible ways that we can move from canceling to listening. Host: Dr Philip Cozzolino

Today's guest is Dr Sebastian Korb. Sebastian is an experimental psychologist at Essex, with a range of experience, and a particular focus on the brain processes underlying facial recognition and facial mimicry of emotions. We spoke recently about his past work and about recent research he’s conducted on the social psychological consequences of social distancing measures, and on the effects of face masks on facial recognition and on social interactions. Host: Dr Philip Cozzolino

Healthy relationships - whether romantic or platonic - are vital to our overall well-being. Maintaining those relationships can be a challenge even in the best of times. Not surprising, it can be even more difficult to sustain these crucial connections during the current state of lockdowns and of social distancing. In this episode, we are happy to be joined by Dr Veronica Lamarche, a relationship scientist at the University of Essex. Veronica's research focuses on understanding how people regulate trust and dependence in their romantic relationships, and how feelings of uncertainty or vulnerability can influence relationship stability. Host: Dr Philip Cozzolino