The Nature & Nurture Podcast

Dr. Felipe De Brigard is a Professor of Philosophy, Psychology, and Neuroscience at Duke University, where he runs the Imagination and Modal Cognition Lab. Learn more about his research at: https://www.imclab.org/    In this episode we discuss Felipe's background in philosophy and neuroscience, his research on imagination and counterfactual thinking, and the role of memory in consciousness.    Timestamps:  0:00 - Introduction 0:29 - Felipe's background in philosophy and neuropsychology 1:58 - Bridging philosophy and cognitive neuroscience in his PhD 3:41 - Neuroscience as an applied medical field vs. a theoretical study of the mind 9:00 - The rise of experimental philosophy  11:12 - Felipe's research interests in memory, imagination, and counterfactual thinking 15:26 - The role of memory in consciousness 22:07 - Is experience discrete or continuous? 24:37 - Phenomenology in neuroscience 30:59 - Does multitasking exist?  33:08 - Different types of cognitive processes involved in imagination 36:09 - Felipe's own research on counterfactual thinking 39:20 - Differences in brain activation when imagining things that do vs. do not involve yourself 43:25 - The evolution of counterfactual thinking  46:35 - How counterfactual thinking influences our memory 47:36 - The most interesting question Felipe would like to see answered in his career

In this episode I interview Dr. Essi Viding, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at University College London and author of Psychopathy: A Very Short Introduction. We discuss her research on the development of antisocial behavior, the degree to which psychopathic traits are influenced by genetic and environmental factors, and early-intervention strategies which may help improve the developmental trajectory of antisocial children.

In this episode I interview Dr. Zlatan Damnjanovic, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California. We discuss his research in logic and the philosophy of mathematics, the epistemological of whether the languages of logic and math are universal or man-made, and the historical development of formal systems of logic and mathematics. Additionally, we discuss the paradox logical systems necessarily being either incomplete or inconsistent without the fundamental axiom of truth-preservation (i.e., not contradicting oneself). Video available at: https://youtu.be/pfLqUJvIBLI 

In this episode I interview Dr. Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez, neuroscientist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Southern California. We discuss his background in cognitive neuroscience, his transition to researching the influence of social and environmental factors on the brain, and his current work in environmental neuroscience. Additionally, we discuss issues in science including the operationalization of variables, identity, (statistical) power, and group stratification.

Dr. Mark Goulston is a psychiatrist, former UCLA professor with expertise in suicide prevention, former FBI and police hostage negotiation trainer, inventor of the therapeutic technique of Surgical Empathy, bestselling author of 9 books, and host of the My Wakeup Call podcast.  In this episode we discuss Dr. Goulston's books "Just Listen" and "Get Out of Your Own Way." In addition, Dr. Goulston shares stories from his training as a psychiatrist and discusses the technique of surgical empathy in both clinical and personal settings. Video available at: https://youtu.be/R9dONx1DhVc Learn more about Dr. Goulston at https://markgoulston.com/ Find Dr. Goulston on Twitter and Instagram @MarkGoulston Listen to Dr. Goulston's course Defeating Self Defeat at: https://himalaya.com/defeat (Use promo code DEFEAT to access for free)

In this episode I interview Dr. Daniel Lapsley, Professor of Psychology at Notre Dame University. We discuss the overlap between philosophy and experimental psychology in the study of morality, early psychological theories of moral development including those of Piaget and Kohlberg, modern perspectives on moral psychology including Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory, and the value of intellectual humility. Video available at: https://youtu.be/4KNK4l4oNkA 

In this episode I interview Dr. Vera Gluscevic, Gabilan Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southern California. We discuss her background in astrophysics and her research in cosmology, the beginnings of our Universe, the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, and touch briefly on metaphysics and the probabilistic nature of the quantum world.

In this episode I interview Dr. Alex Bezzerides, Professor of Biology at Lewis-Clark State College, about his book Evolution Gone Wrong: The Curious Reasons Why Our Bodies Work (Or Don't). We discuss his background in biology, inspirations for the book, our evolutionary past, and the trade-offs that come with adaptation: from the benefits of walking on two feet and having large brains, to the pains of backache and childbirth.   Find his book here: https://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Gone-Wrong-Curious-Reasons/dp/1335690050/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

In this episode I interview Dr. Cecilia Heyes, Professor of Psychology at Oxford University, about her book Cognitive Gadgets: The Cultural Evolution of Thinking. We discuss her background in animal research, the nature vs. nurture debate, culture as an evolutionary process, and discuss various "cognitive gadgets" such as literacy and imitation, which Heyes argues are not biologically programmed, but culturally evolved feats of cognition. Find her book at: https://www.amazon.com/Cognitive-Gadgets-Cultural-Evolution-Thinking/dp/0674980158

In this episode I interview Dr. Toby Mintz, Professor of Psychology and Linguistics at the University of Southern California. We discuss language in the context of cognitive science: from artificial intelligence to human language development, and discuss his research on language acquisition in infants and children.    Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQoO1KopuLM Papers discussed:   Mintz, T. H. (2003). Frequent frames as a cue for grammatical categories in child directed speech. Cognition, 90(1), 91-117.   Mintz, T. H. (2005). Linguistic and conceptual influences on adjective acquisition in 24-and 36-month-olds. Developmental Psychology, 41(1), 17.