In this video I describe how psychologists and social scientists often treat ordinal data as if it were interval data, which is a cause of some debate between pure statisticians and more pragmatic researchers. I discuss why this may or … Read More
Is Peripheral Vision in Color or Black and White?
In this video I discuss peripheral color vision, including the common misconception that peripheral vision is completely black and white. By looking at the distribution of rods and cones throughout the retina, we can see that color vision extends to … Read More
Scales of Measurement or Types of Data
In this video I describe the 4 scales of measurement proposed by Stanley Smith Stevens, which have become the standard way of defining types of data. These include nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. I discuss the defining features of each, … Read More
Stress & Social Hierarchy
In this video I discuss the relationship between the stress response and the social hierarchy. While high status in a hierarchy can be associated with greater control and less stress, it can also be the case that high status positions … Read More
Perceived Control & Learned Helplessness
In this video I discuss appraisal, perceived control, and learned helplessness. While primary appraisal refers to identifying whether something represents a threat, secondary appraisal refers to determining if one can manage or control a stressor. Stressors that can’t be managed … Read More
Stress, Personality, & Heart Disease
In this video I discuss the relationship between stress, personality, and heart disease. Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman proposed that Type A personality, characterized by competitiveness and hostility, was associated with 7x more heart disease than Type B personality, characterized … Read More
Psychological Stressors & Health
In this video I discuss the psychological components of stress and how we can become stressed from the anticipation of threats. Psychological stressors are especially dangerous because they have the potential to become chronic stressors which constantly plague us. Next … Read More
Stress & The Immune System
In this video I briefly describe the immune system and the cells involved in surveillance and protection from invaders, pathogens, and other threats. Next I discuss the relationship between stress and decreased immune function, which is related to elevated levels … Read More
General Adaptation Syndrome
In this video I describe homeostasis, which refers to maintenance of an optimal state, and allostasis, which clarifies that an optimal state is actually a range of possible states depending on context. Next I discuss Hans Selye’s theory of General … Read More
The Stress Response & HPA Axis
In this video I describe the stress response in more detail, including possible gender differences in reaction to threats. Shelley Taylor proposed the tend–and–befriend response to refer to a female tendency to focus on relationships, empathy, and group cohesion in … Read More