People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast

An interview with psychology researcher Neguine Rezaii about her work using machine learning to predict conversion in teenagers from prodromal symptoms to psychotic episodes. The two language patterns found in the subjects' speech were 1) a low semantic density (i.e., little meaning), and 2) speech related to sound or voices. Topics discussed include: how exactly they determined “low meaning"; how the algorithm found, on its own, indicators related to sound-related speech content; the future of using machine learning and automatic diagnosis tools in psychology and therapy; theories that might help explain these findings. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I talk with Marcel Just about his research using fMRI brain imaging to identify brain activity associated with specific thoughts: for example, identifying that a subject is thinking about an apple, or about death. Dr. Just and his team have been twice featured on the show "60 Minutes." Topics discussed include: the nature of human thought; how much is our consciousness individual thoughts vs many things firing at once?; why brain activity for specific thoughts and emotions trigger specific areas of the brain in consistent, predictable ways; why thoughts and emotions activate the same types of patterns for so many people, even across language divides; how fMRI works and why it is a good choice for this type of work (versus EEG, for example); the state of this technology, its potential applications, and what its practical limitations are. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Dr. Brian Baer, a skilled translator, about indicators in an English language text that the author may be native-Russian (for example, missing articles, wrong verb tenses, "collocations", and more). Baer also talks about the nature of language in general, and his work as a translator. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Dr. Rob Tarzwell about his research using SPECT neuroimaging to find indicators of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This work was voted by Discover Magazine as one of the top 20 science stories of 2015. Topics discussed include: the ways physical harm to the brain (e.g., traumatic brain injury) shows up differently in brain imaging compared to more psychological conditions like PTSD or depression; the differences between different types of brain imaging (PET, SPECT, fMRI) and their strengths and weaknesses; Tarzwell's research showing the effects of therapy in brain scans. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Jason Simmons (aka Master Roshambollah), an experienced Rock Paper Scissors player. Simmons discusses how serious RPS players try to read and influence the behavior of their opponents. Topics discussed: common physical indicators (i.e., “tells) that give you clues of what an opponent will throw; verbal and visual methods for influencing an opponent’s throw; format/structure of RPS competitions; why some players use randomizing strategies to level the playing field versus tough opponents; gambling at Rock Paper Scissors. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Brendan Bartholomew, a San Francisco bus driver and writer. Brendan talks about how understanding human behavior plays an important role in his duties as a city bus driver. Topics discussed: the importance of thinking ahead about potential pedestrian/traffic dangers; how bus drivers know who’s waiting for a bus and who’s not; thoughts on handling unruly and/or mentally ill passengers; how modern rideshare and scooter traffic have changed things for bus drivers. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Dr. Christopher Moyer, PhD, about measuring skin conductance, also called electrodermal activity (EDA) and galvanic skin response (GSR): what it is, what it's thought to measure, and how it's been used in psychology research, including his own research. Dr. Moyer is a counseling psychologist who has published research on the anxiety-reducing effects of massage therapy and the neurological effects of meditation. Topics: electrodermal activity, galvanic skin response (GSR), psychological research, massage therapy, meditation, polygraphs and lie detectors. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Polina Vorozheykina, a software engineer based in Portland who is skilled at social deduction games like Secret Hitler, Werewolf/Mafia, Resistance, and Avalon. We do a review of the rules of the game Secret Hitler, and Polina talks about common behaviors/tells that can give away information (e.g., length of time looking at cards; consistency of claims; talkativeness; body language; use of language, and more). Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I talk with Olu Popoola, a forensic linguistic analyst, deception researcher, and fraud investigator, about spotting indicators of false, deceptive text. Topics discussed include: what linguistic analysis for deception entails; using "coherence relations" (i.e., how the phrases and sentences in a text relate to each other) to detect deception; indicators of fake Amazon book reviews and true/honest ones; Olu's research into Amazon reviews of Hillary Clinton’s 2017 book "What Happened?"; the importance of detection deception in our current internet age. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Benjamin Moots, who served 15 years in prison for second degree murder, mostly in maximum security settings. Topics include: his account of what led to his murder conviction; what prison life was like, including differences between the perception and the reality; prison slang (e.g., differences between “convict” and “inmate”); sexual and physical assault dynamics; how prison encourages aggression; how poker games work in prison; and more. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with DBrandi Fink, a psychology researcher who has done work analyzing the interpersonal dynamics of couples and families, including couples and families having physical abuse and drug/alcohol abuse issues. We talk about: common physical and verbal behaviors that point to relationshipo problems; the work of famous relationship psychology expert John Gottman, who Fink worked with; the reasons why researchers and therapists attempt to quantify interpersonal behaviors; how analysis/coding systems work; and the challenges in coding behavior, which can often be ambiguous. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk about how psychology and reading behavior play a role in successful door-to-door sales. I interview two experienced door-to-door salespeople: Conrad Smith, who was a top salesman for a well-known home security system company, and David Mock, who did door-to-door sales for a large, well-known home remodeling company. Topics discussed include: conversation scripts large companies use, and how they work; how even a knock on the door can influence people; the use of ambiguous language (example: “Did your realtor tell you I might be stopping by today?”) to subtly deceive; the use of a fake personal anecdote to gain trust; the importance of getting a customer to physically sign a document; how the mere act of spending time with a salesperson can increase the chance a sale is made. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Robin Dibble, an experienced service industry professional based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Robin has worked all sides of the restaurant business, from waiting tables, to cooking, to managing restaurants and nightclubs. Topics discussed include: the role of psychology and perception-manipulation in the restaurant and service industries; psychological strategies that get servers higher tips; the importance of reading the room as a restaurant manager; factors that go into deciding to cut someone off from alcohol, and optimal approaches; menu design strategies; pricing strategies. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Robert Drysdale, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts expert and world champion, on the roles psychology and predicting opponent behavior can play in professional fighting. Topic discussed: the role of psychology, mental preparation, and action-anticipation in MMA and jiu-jitsu; basics of MMA and jiu-jitsu for people not familiar; importance of predicting opponent behavior in competitive fighting; the role of mental visualization in fight preparation; the importance of staying stoic before and during a fight; how pre-fight behavior and facial expressions can give insight into fighters’ mental states, and maybe even predict a fight’s outcome. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Seth Baldwin about the sport of fencing and the role psychology and predicting opponent behavior can play in the sport. Baldwin is an experienced fencer who, at the peak of his game, got 3rd at the 2004 U.S. National Championships. Topics discussed include: basics of fencing maneuvers and strategy; the role of skill vs luck/variance in individual fencing matches; the role psychology and “action anticipation” plays for skilled fencers; similarities between fencing and poker. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Jenny Radcliffe, an expert in social engineering, which involves the manipulation of people to gain access to information and materials. Radcliffe talks about her work infiltrating companies as a paid security consultant, and discusses some of the psychological and behavioral aspects of that work. Radcliffe has her own podcast about psychology and security: The Human Factor. Her website is www.JennyRadcliffe.com. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with David Zulawski, an expert in interrogation/interview techniques. Zulawski is co-owner of Wicklander Zulawski and Associates (w-z.com), a firm specializing in interview and interrogation consulting and education. Zulawksi is co-author, with Wicklander, of the respected and widely-used book "Practical Aspects of Interview and Interrogation." We talk about interrogation techniques, with a focus on psychological and behavioral aspects. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A talk with Dr. Christina Marinakis, J.D., Psy.D., jury selection and voir dire expert. Marinakis is the Director of Jury Research at Litigation Insights, a large trial consultancy firm. Dr. Marinakis answers questions about: how the jury selection process works; strategies used to expose potential juror bias; and how psychology, stereotyping, and human behavior can play a role in that work. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at⁠ ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An interview of Mark McClish, an expert in analyzing written and verbal statements. McClish is a former U.S. Marshal and law enforcement trainer on interview and interrogation techniques. He's the author of two books on Statement Analysis®: "I Know You Are Lying," and "Don't Be Deceived." Topics discussed in this episode include: common deceptive patterns, why people find it difficult to straightforwardly lie, and discussion of some criminal cases, including the Chris Watts case, Steven Avery, OJ Simpson, and more. Learn more about the show and get transcripts at ⁠behavior-podcast.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An interview with comedian Alex Falcone about the role of understanding and using human psychology and behavior in stand-up comedy. Learn more about this show at behavior-podcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices