Speaking of Psychology American Psychological Association

Compared with other animals, dogs are brilliant in one important way: They can understand and communicate with us, their human companions. Brian Hare, PhD, of Duke University, talks about what we know about canine cognition and how studying dogs’ evolutionary journey from wild wolves to domesticated pets can teach us more about humanity’s history as well.

With the start of the 2020-2021 school year, politicians, parents, health officials, school officials, teachers’ unions and other groups are debating whether it’s safe for students to return to physical classrooms. Heidi Schweingruber, PhD, a developmental psychologist and dir. of the Board on Science Education at the National Academies of Sciences, discusses a report on how school districts can balance the risks and rewards of reopening – and why schools should prioritize reopening for younger studen

Psilocybin, LSD and other psychedelic drugs were once considered promising treatments for depression, anxiety and other mental health ailments. Now, after a decades-long lull, researchers are once again looking into the therapeutic potential of these drugs. Roland Griffiths, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, discusses new research on using psychedelics to treat depression, PTSD, and even alcohol and tobacco dependence.

The protests against racial injustice over the past month may be prompting some white Americans to consider—perhaps for the first time--the advantages they've benefited from all their lives. Brian Lowery, PhD, a senior associate dean at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, studies the psychology of racial privilege. He discusses the factors that drive many white Americans to ignore and even deny that white privilege exists, and what he believes needs to be done to combat racial injustice.

Over the past several months, millions of newly remote workers have found themselves juggling work and family responsibilities from hastily improvised home offices. Kristen Shockley, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Georgia, discusses her research on how these new teleworkers are adapting and talks about what the pandemic may mean for the future of remote work.

For more than a week, protestors have filled the streets of cities and towns across the United States and even around the world, demanding an end to racial injustice and police brutality in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Lauren Duncan, PhD, a professor of psychology at Smith College and an expert on the psychology of protest and collective action, discusses why this is happening right now and what motivates people to come together to demand change.