Emotional Regulation

In this video I discuss the role of the cortex, particularly the frontal lobes, in emotional experience. Cortical involvement in emotions means that we can use cognitive and behavioral strategies in how we respond to emotional stimuli and how we … Read More

Emotion Pathways in the Brain

In this video I describe the two pathways leading to the emotion processing areas of the brain described in the previous video. The fast pathway (or low road) goes to the amygdalae and allows for a quick and dirty emotional … Read More

Emotions in the Brain

In this video I describe two early studies looking at the role of brain structures in emotion processing; work by Heinrich Kluver & Paul Bucy, and James Olds & Peter Milner. These studies helped to identify the role of structures … Read More

Misattribution of Arousal

In this video I explain the idea of misattribution of arousal; when people misinterpret their physiological arousal, which may cause them to mislabel their emotional experience. I explain how this was demonstrated in Schachter & Singer’s study (discussed in the … Read More

How Do Emotions Happen?

In this video I describe 3 different theories of emotion which attempt to explain how emotional experiences occur. The James-Lange theory proposes that a stimulus causes physiological arousal which in turn causes the emotion. The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion proposes … Read More

What is an Emotion?

In this video I introduce the concept of multidimensional scaling to investigate emotions more objectively. This approach involves considering emotional experiences on two dimensions; valence and level of physiological arousal. Valence refers to how strongly an emotion is experienced as … Read More

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator – MBTI

In this video I describe the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a personality assessment created by Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs. Despite its popularity in career counseling and corporate settings, the MBTI generally isn’t held in high regard by most … Read More

Self-Efficacy, Locus of Control, & Self-Perception

In this video I discuss self-efficacy, internal vs. external locus of control, and self-perception theory. I consider how these theories relate to the process of personality transformation and personal change. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to see future … Read More

The Self and Reciprocal Determinism

In this video I consider how we view ourselves and how biases, personal constructs, schema, and behavior interact in shaping personality. I provide an example of Albert Bandura’s reciprocal determinism for understanding the relationship between predisposition, the social environment, and … Read More

Humanistic Psychology: Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers

In this video I provide a short introduction to the ideas of humanistic psychologists Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. Maslow and Rogers both emphasized the role of an intrinsic drive towards self-actualization, or fulfilling one’s greatest potential, in shaping an … Read More