Episode guide
Mind Field: Season 3
8 episodes · first aired Dec 5, 2018
In the third season of Mind Field, creator/host Michael Stevens continues his never-ending quest to uncover the inner workings of the human mind. With unprecedented access to leading universities and researchers who are turning science fiction into science fact, Michael travels farther than he ever has before, designing demonstrations which put theories to the test in the real world.
- 1 The Cognitive Tradeoff Hypothesis Dec 5, 2018 · 30m Humans are the only Earthlings with complex language. But at what cost was that ability acquired? In this episode, Michael Stevens visit Tetsuro Matsuzawa to learn about his influential…
- 2 Moral Licensing Dec 5, 2018 · 30m How are our moral decisions influenced by factors we’re not aware of? A phenomenon known as Moral Licensing claims that when we do something good, we often subconsciously allow ourselves…
- 3 The Stilwell Brain Dec 12, 2018 · 30m There are 100 billion individual neurons in the human brain. Working together, they allow us to make sense of, and move through, the world around us. Scientists have built replicas of the…
- 4 The Stanford Prison Experiment Dec 19, 2018 · 30m Normal people can become monsters, given the right situation. That’s the standard narrative of the Stanford Prison Experiment, one of the most famous psychological experiments of all time…
- 5 Should I Die? Dec 26, 2018 · 30m If I could live forever, should I? How does being reminded of our own mortality affect us psychologically? In this episode I speak with mortician and death positivity activist Caitlin…
- 6 How to Talk to Aliens Jan 2, 2019 · 30m Are we alone in the universe? Even if we could contact aliens, what would we say? How would we say it? And, most importantly, should we even be trying to make contact at all? This episode…
- 7 Behavior and Belief Jan 9, 2019 · 30m How can a lie become true? In this episode, Dr. Aaron Blaisdell and I create a game show that is actually a giant "human Skinner Box" to observe the formation of superstitious beliefs. And…
- 8 Mind Reading Jan 16, 2019 · 30m In this episode I visit a researcher who is studying memory by using machine learning and neuroimaging to detect and predict people's brain states. I also travel to Japan to meet with a…