Rebecca McInroy

Balanced Pragmatism

We live in an era of deep division, and it’s hard for people with opposing views to even talk to each other. So, how can we begin to move toward compromise and collaboration? In this episode of Two Guys on Your HeadDr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke discuss the idea of “balanced pragmatism” as a possible way forward.

Check out the paper by Curtis Puryear and Kurt Gray in the 2024 Journal of Experimental Psychology: General Issue.

Wandering

It’s sometimes difficult to justify doing an activity that isn’t related to work or achieving a specific goal, but as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke discuss in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, letting your mind wander and thinking of things other than your immediate task can be beneficial for your brain and your pursuits.

Cause and Effect

It can be difficult to understand how to navigate behavior when there is no direct cause and effect between what you’re doing and the impact you want to have. In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke, talk about why it’s important to take daily actions toward long-term goals.

How To Crush Writer’s Block

In April, we celebrate National Poetry Month, and in honor of this beautiful commemoration, we wanted to revisit our show on writer’s block! That phrase might induce panic and a recollection of a familiar experience. It’s a widespread phenomenon. So what is it?

In this edition of Two Guys on Your HeadDr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke explain the ins and outs of how and why we sometimes get stuck – and what we can do to help ourselves in those difficult situations.

The Soup Study Revisited

A classic study found that individuals eat less soup when they have a visual cue of how much they have eaten, thus demonstrating the power of external cues about eating. However, this research, done by Brian Wansink and his colleagues in 2005, was called into question by the lead researcher’s demonstrations of scientific misconduct.

A new research team, led by Alejandra Lopez, has replicated the study and published its findings in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. The team found that the main results hold up.

Yet, as Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke, discuss in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, that the findings replicate is one thing, but how we interpret and use this information is another story altogether.

Remembering Daniel Kahneman

Nobel laureate and behavioral psychologist Daniel Kahneman passed away on March 27th, 2024, at the age of 90. Kahneman was not only a giant in the fields of psychology and economics, but as Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head he was also kind, generous, open-minded, and willing to collaborate even with people who disagreed with him. Kanheman’s ideas and research will have a lasting impact on how we understand attention, memory, rationality, and much more, and the example he set as a scientist offers a possibility model for generations to come.

Hedges and Crutches

Building in hedges to a sentence is a natural thing most of us do without thinking too much about it, but when we can’t form a sentence without “really” or “like ya know” it might be time to take a pause. That said, as we explore in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, with Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke, these hedges and crutches serve a communicative purpose.