Under the Cortex

Why do we avoid retracing our steps—even when it helps us reach our goals faster? In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer-Baum speaks with Kristine Cho and Clayton Critcher from the University of California, Berkeley about their latest research on doubling-back aversion: the tendency to resist more efficient paths if they require undoing prior effort. 

Across four studies involving performance tasks and vi...

Why do familiar experiences sometimes feel like they happened longer ago than they actually did? 

In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer-Baum speaks with Brynn Sherman from the University of Pennsylvania about her recent study published in Psychological Science, the flagship journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Sherman's research uncovers a surprising illusion: repeated experiences, which a...

How does your brain keep track of the people in your life—not just who they are, but where they are in relation to you and to each other? 

In this episode of Under the Cortex, Özge Gürcanlı Fischer-Baum talks with Robert Chavez from the University of Oregon about his new findings published in Psychological Science, the flagship journal of the Association for Psychological Science. His research shows that our brains rely on two sepa...

How do the roles of researcher and editor inform each other? What can this intersection tell us about the future of psychological science? 

In this episode of Under the Cortex, Arturo Hernandez, Professor of Psychology at the University of Houston and editor for Perspectives on Psychological Science, joins host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum to reflect on the dynamic relationship between scientific discovery and scientific communicat...

How do you design a study that captures human experience as it unfolds in real time? In this episode, Under the Cortex explores the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), a powerful approach for studying psychological processes. Host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer-Baum is joined by Jessica Fritz from Osnabruck University, and Marilyn Piccirillo from the Rutgers Addiction Research Center and Brain Health Institute, who are among the coauthors of ...

Why do some people struggle to control their actions when emotions run high? What happens in the brain when impulsive decisions take over? Why do some brains lose control under high arousal, while others stay composed? 

In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer-Baum speaks with Matthew V. Elliott from the University of California at Berkeley. Elliott’s study published in APS’s journal Clinical Psychological Sc...

Most linguistic datasets focus on written text, but what about the way we actually speak? TalkBank, the world’s largest open-access repository of spoken language, is helping researchers understand everything from child development to dementia, bilingualism, and even classroom learning. 

In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Ozge Gurcanli Fischer Baum speaks with Brian MacWhinney from the Carnegie Mellon University, who recently...

Scientific credibility depends on valid research. But with growing concerns about replication failures and questionable research practices, how can scientists ensure their findings stand up to scrutiny? 

In this episode, Under the Cortex explores the VALID checklist, a newly developed tool that helps researchers systematically assess the quality of their studies. Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum speaks with Susanne Kerschbaumer from the ...

Do young children prefer to rely on their memory, or do they take the easier route and use external aids like lists and reminders? How do they decide when to put in the mental effort and when to lean on available tools? 

In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum teams up with Zsuzsa Kaldy from the University of Massachusetts Boston. They discuss Kaldy’s study published in APS’s journal Psychological Scien...

Is there a single explanation that accounts for all addictive behaviors, or is the reality more complex? How can quantitative classification methods help uncover the nuances of substance dependence? 

In this episode, APS's Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum speaks with Ashley Watts from Vanderbilt University about her recent research article in Clinical Psychological Science. They discuss how simple explanations to addictive behavior – lik...

Psychological research often focuses on disparities, but how do the populations studied impact the reliability of findings? 

In this episode of Under the Cortex, Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum hosts Wen Wei Loh and Dongning Ren who recently published an article on this topic in APS’s journal Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science. They discuss how non-representative samples can influence study conclusions and highli...

Children often surprise us with the details they remember—sometimes even better than adults! But what if their ability to learn comes not from focus, but from a broader, less selective attention? This episode unpacks research showing that while adults learn best when paying attention, children (ages 7-9) absorb information just as well, even when it’s irrelevant to their task. Could this be the secret behind their incredible learni...

Although meditation apps are gaining popularity, a clear link between usage dosage and intervention outcomes has yet to be established. 

In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum teams up with Simon Goldberg from the University of Wisconsin to explore a critical question: “How does the “dosage” of meditation app use impact mental health outcomes? Drawing from a randomized controlled trial with 662 partici...

As populations age, the need for informal caregivers is increasing. As individuals step up to provide care for loved ones in need, they face their own mental health challenges. 

In this episode, Under the Cortex features Michael Kramer from the University of Zurich who recently published an article on this topic in APS’s journal Psychological Science. Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum starts the conversation with questions on the mental h...

How do the five love languages hold up to empirical research? How do psychological researchers feel about self-censorship? How does gender equality vary by country globally? Tune in to hear highlights from this year’s most popular research.  

In this episode, APS's Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum and Hannah Brown take turns describing the most downloaded articles in 2024 from APS’s five major journals. Together, they discussed the topic...

When children play, how do they develop the essential skill of cooperation? What methods do they use to solve complex problems while working in teams? How do they approach a threshold dilemma when their personal interests are at odds with the team’s objectives? 

In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum speaks with Patricia Kanngiesser from the University of Plymouth. Kanngiesser, who is a cross-cultural ...

What potential do everyday devices, like smartwatches, have in transforming the management and treatment of eating disorders? 

In this episode, Under the Cortex explores how commonly used technology, such as heart rate monitors and step counters, can be used to understand binge-eating episodes. APS's Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum interviews Qinxin Shi from the University of Utah, whose research is featured in Clinical Psychological ...

What drives the onset of alcohol dependence in midlife? How does it present unique challenges, and what strategies can help when it disrupts the lives of individuals and their families?  

In this episode of Under the Cortex, host Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum speaks with Lara Khalifeh and Leah Richmond-Rakerd from the University of Michigan, authors of a recent article in Clinical Psychological Science. Together, they discuss the role...

How does the brain’s memory function change as we grow older? What recent discoveries are helping us understand these changes better? 

In this episode of Under the Cortex, Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum welcomes Karen Campbell of Brock University to discuss how aging impacts memory. Campbell shares insights from her recent study in APS’s journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, exploring the hyber-binding hypothesis. The co...