R-Academy Robert Contofalsky

Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Laura Wagner. She is a professor of Psychology at The Ohio State University, as well as being a Courtesy Professor in the Department of Linguistics. Her primary focus of study is how children acquire language, and more specifically, how they learn about meaning. Professor Wagner has investigated various dimensions of meaning, including children’s understanding of temporal and event semantics, and their understanding of social indexical meanings coded in dialect and register. In more colloquial terms, “children’s understanding of temporal and event semantics” refers to how children understand the concept of time and events through language. Specifically, it looks at how they understand words and sentences that describe when things happen (like past, present, future) and the nature of events (like whether an action is ongoing or completed). “Social indexing meanings coded in dialect and register” refers to how children comprehend the social meanings that are conveyed through different ways of speaking. "Dialect" refers to variations in language due to geographical or social differences, and "register" refers to variations in language based on context (like formal vs. informal speech). The research is looking at how children understand these variations and the social information they convey, like a person's background or the formality of a situation. In the description, I will link her papers that investigated these very topics. In addition, Dr. Wagner directs the Langauge Sciences Research Lab at the Columbus Center of Science and Industry where she is both collecting data and boosting public education and awareness of language and linguistics research. Within the science museum, visitors can see legitimate research being conducted. This is part of a global effort to see whether or not language science can be used as a means to generate excitement about science as a practice. This is especially important, as other fields, such as physics, have a far greater reach and general popularity with the public compared to linguistics. Furthermore, Professor Wagner has recently co-published a book with Professor Cecile McKee titled “How to talk language science with Everybody” – Cambridge University Press. In this book, she and Dr. McKee write about how to talk with people about language science (linguistics) in an accessible way, and how linguistics researchers can also improve with their public outreach regarding this topic. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the topics of language, its development, how do languages evolve and change, how do kids acquire their first and second languages, how do linguists even study language in children, and also explore some of the theoretical differences in how to study linguistics.

Timestamps:
Background 0:00 - 2:00
How to define Language: 2:01 - 4:05
What is syntax? 4:06 - 7:32
How does syntax inform Semantics? 7:33 - 12:07i
How does one acquire their first language? 12:08 - 15:00
How do kids become bilingual? 15:01 - 19:46
Are there exceptional language learners? 19:47 - 21:35
How does language develop? 21:36 - 25:55
How does one study language in babies/children? 25:56 - 31:39
Do words spoken reveal internal thoughts? 31:40 - 39:06
What is Nativism in Linguistics? 39:07 - 42:50
What is Empircism/Non-Nativism in Linguistics? 42:51 - 48:40
How to promote Linguistics Education Publicly: 48:41 - 55:48
If money was no object, what studies would Dr. Wagner like to study? 55:49 - 58:00
Why do languages possess words that are not available in other ones? 58:01 - 1:00:07
Why do some languages die? 1:00:08 - 1:03:23
Alphabets 1:03:24 - 1:05:24
Is Philology a form of linguistic study? 1:05:25 - End

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Richard Koestner. He is a Motivation researcher at McGill University. His research focuses on goal-setting, self-regulation, and internalization processes. Questions that drive his work forward are as such: How do individuals motivate themselves to pursue valued goals? and How do they determine which goals and guidelines to internalize from their social-cultural surroundings? One key framework that he uses to analyze his data is that of Self-Determination Theory; a key psychological perspective on Motivation and human behaviour.

In this episode, we discuss a lot about Self-Determination theory;, the psychological needs that human beings have, how does this relate to personality, and even answer questions as to what Personality really is.

Here are links to the books mentioned in this podcast:

The Art and Science of Personality Development: https://tinyurl.com/cu45bak4

Why We Do What We Do: https://tinyurl.com/bddkhp9n

I can if I want to: https://tinyurl.com/2ufmanjf

Here are the links to the Big 5 Personality Tests:

Free Test: https://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/

In-depth test ($10USD): https://understandmyself.com/

TimeStamps:

0:00 - 1:55 Introduction
1:56 - 7:38 Professor Koestner's Background
7:39 - 15:48 What is Self-Determination Theory?
15:49 - 26:35 What is the controversy in Self-Determination Theory?
26:36 - 30:36 How can we satisfy our needs?
30:37 - 44:06 How we can support our own needs
44:07 - 50:40 How Martial Arts support psychological needs
50:41 - 59:19 What is personality?
59:20 - 1:02:52 How much does personality change?
1:02:53 - End Outro

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. John Gibbs. He is a moral developmentalist at The Ohio State University. A moral developmentalist is a branch of psychology that studies how morality develops in stages. These stages are derived from Jean Piaget’s landmark work in developmental psychology where his observations lead him to argue that a child’s cognition develops in stages and that these stages are unique and somewhat invariant – though there is much debate about that. More specific to this episode, a Moral Psychologist named Lawrence Kohlberg, incorporated Piaget’s stage theory and argued that morality must also develop in stages, as morality is cognitively constructed. This realization lead Kohlberg into developing the “stages of moral development”. This theory captivated Dr. John Gibbs, and after acquiring his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1972, he worked closely with Kohlberg throughout the 70s. During this time, he revised Kohlberg’s work in a more Piagettian sense, arguing that morality develops in stages, but these stages are more cognitive and affective, whereas Kohlberg’s theory was more rooted in reasoning and cognition. Ultimately, this revision would influence one of Gibbs’ finest work, his EQUIP program. This is a program that aims at reducing juvenile delinquency through moral rehabilitation. While the results vary, the literature would agree that EQUIP is indeed a success, on top of being a fascinating program given its uniqueness.

In this episode, we discuss more so about the EQUIP program, its past, its successes, and its future. Additionally, we go through Dr. Gibbs’ academic history and take a deep dive into his past, which to a certain extent, makes up the history of psychology itself – he has incredible stories to tell. Our conversation ends with a more theoretical approach to morality and its development.

Links to books related to Moral Psychology:

John Gibbs' book: https://tinyurl.com/3fhh7fpf

Martin Hoffman's book: https://tinyurl.com/4afytx82

Time Stamps:

Introduction: 0:00 - 2:10
Dr. Gibb’s Background: 2:11 - 5:17
Brown Modifying Freud’s theory of morality: 5:18 - 9:03
Dr. Gibb’s modifying Kohlberg’s theory: 9:04 - 11:31
Kohlberg pushing Dr. Gibbs to pursue tenure track: 11:36 - 15:12
His research at Ohio State University: 15:13 - 16:52
The EQUIP Program & Juvenile Delinquency: 16:53 – 23:11
Why Remedy Morality over Healing Trauma?: 23:12 - 29:25
The importance of social perspective taking to remedy morality: 29:26 - 33:29
What are the results of the EQUIP Program?: 33:31 - 36:04
What ROLE does empathy play in improving morality? 36:05 - 41:11
Are there people who are resistant to EQUIP? 41:12 - 42:53
What is the future of EQUIP? 42:54 - 45:32
Will EQUIP be used in Non-Western Countries? 45:33 - 49:30
What is the future of Moral Psychology? 49:31 - 56:21
Promotions of Gibbs’ work: 56:21 - End

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Jeffrey Mogil. He is the E.P. Taylor Professor of Pain Studies at McGill University and the Canada Research Chair in Genetics of Pain (Tier 1). His lab (MOGILab) studies the multi-varied subject of Pain in both humans and mice. He is known for his work in Pain Genetics, pain measurements, furthering the research on sex differences in pain perception and processing, investigating the pharmacology of various analgesics (pain drugs), and as well as studying the neurochemistry of the placebo and nocebo effects. His understanding of the topics of pain are vast, and his expertise is extremely valuable – I am immensely grateful to have hosted him for my second episode.

In this episode, we discuss a wide array of topics; most of which are centered around the nuances of Pain. These nuances include the discussion of How to Define Pain, what are current pain treatments and how effective (or ineffective) they are, what is the placebo effect and how can it be used ethically (or unethically), what are the common pain sex differences, the opioid crisis and its relation to pain, and we conclude our episode with a discussion about the nature of science and research.

I hope you enjoy this episode, all topics are time-stamped below.

1:29 - 5:29 (Background)
5:30 - 9:22 (Pain Genetics)
9:23 - 11:01 (How do environments influence genetic expression)
11:02 - 14:55 (What is pain?)
14:56 - 16:11 (Underfunding of pain)
16:12 - 17:48 (Morbidity vs mortality)
17:49 - 19:44 (How to buffer against chronic pain)
19:45 - 20:03 (What are analgesics?)
20:04 - 21:18 (What are the psychological treatments for pain?)
21:19 - 22:44 (Are the treatments equally effective)
22:45 - 23:29 (Therapeutic Alliance for treatment gains)
23:30 - 26:15 (Best analgesics for pain?)
26:16 - 28:12 (What do opioids do for pain?)
28:13 - 29:31 (Why Tylenol is mysterious)
29:32 - 31:11 (New Evidence in Psychedelics Functionality) [1]
31:12 - 32:49 (Non-Traditional pain medicines)
32:50 - 34:19 (What is a placebo effect)
34:20 - 36:19 (Neurochemistry of the placebo effect)
36:20 - 41:05 (Is administering a placebo ethical?)
41:06 - 44:43 (Medical Doctors Dispensing Placebo Effects)
44:44 - 46:18 (How effective is placebo compared to drugs?)
46:19 - 47:27 (What is the opposite of the placebo effect?) [2]
47:28 - 48:55 (What is the neurochemistry of the Nocebo Effect?)
48:56 - 50:35 (How to ascribe functionality to neurochemicals)
50:36 - 52:26 (Are hormones involved in pain?)
52:27 - 55:05 (The role of testosterone in pain)
55:06 - 1:01:53 (What are the sex differences in pain?)
1:01:54 - 1:04:11 (Why is the opioid crisis occurring in men?)
1:04:12 - 1:07:21 (How to improve prescription policies of opiates)
1:07:22 - 1:11:07 (The meaning of Academia after a successful career)
1:11:08 - 1:14:28 (Lumping vs Splitting) [3]
1:14:29 - 1:15:41 (If Money was no object, what would you study?)
1:15:42 - End (What topics are hard to get funding for?)

For my first episode, I had the pleasure of interview Dr. Maxime Robert. He is an assistant professor at the University of Laval (In Quebec). He works in the faculty of Medicine, under the Department of Rehabilitation. His research is focused on Cerebral Palsy, and finding the neurological biomarkers of rehabilitation in this clinical population.

The topics we discuss in this episode are vast, and are all time-stamped below. Thank you for listening to this episode and I hope you will tune into the next one.

TimeStamps:

1:02 - 2:12 (Early Academic History)
2:13 - 4:55 (Personal history with disabilities)
4:56 - 8:31 (Academic background continued) (lampree pic 6:32)
8:32 - 9:28 (Philosophy behind academic research)
9:29 - 10:11 (Academic history cont: Discovering his niche)
10:12 - 13:36 (Experimenting with VR in Cerebral Palsy)
13:37 - 17:11 (Studying rehabilitation for his Ph.D.)
17:12 - 21:15 (Difference between an undergrad and Ph.D.)
21:16 - 23:11 (Post-Doctoral training)
23:12 - 23:43 (Becoming a professor)
23:44 - 29:51 (Defining Cerebral Palsy) (28:54 for the pictures of the brain)
29:52 - 32:43 (Assessing Severity of Cerebral Palsy)
32:44 - 34:53 (Clinical profile of Cerebral Palsy patients)
34:54 - 37:02 (What is the relationship between motor function and cognition)
37:03 - 40:15 (What is the quality of life for CP patients)
40:16 - 50:53 (What does their Rehabilitation look like) (49:19; CP network. Blondview hospital)
50:54 - 1:01:02 (Virtual Reality for CP Rehab)
1:01:03 - 1:06:22 (Are there critical periods for CP Rehab?)
1:06:23 - 1:13:18 (Advantages of VR Rehab)
1:13:19 - 1:16:11 (How effective is VR for CP Rehab?)
1:16:12 - 1:25:07 (Neuroscience of CP) (1:18:02 homunculus)
1:25:08 - 1:30:29 (Methodology in CP research)
1:30:30 - 1:33:15 (Neuroscience of CP Rehab)
1:33:16 - 1:35:19 (How technology can help with CP Rehab)
1:35:20 - 1:38:49 (CP Participation rate in studies and Rehab)
1:38:50 - 1:44:33 (How can parents help their kids with CP) (1:40:00 Jewy APP for Disabilities)
1:44:34 - 1:53:47 (If money was no object, what would you research?)
1:53:48 - 2:00:08 (French Scientists Publishing Research in English)