February 13, 2013
Psychology in the real world: Public lecture series begins
The eighth annual Allen L. Edwards Psychology Lecture Series will spotlight “The Science of Psychology in the Real World,” exploring psychological aspects of the natural world, adolescence and the law.
The three-part series, which runs Wednesday evenings from Feb. 20 until March 6, pairs University of Washington psychologists with experts from outside the university.
The public lectures begin at 7 p.m. in Kane Hall 130. Free registration online (www.uwalum.com/psychology) or call 206-543-0540. The talks will be broadcast at a later date on UWTV. See previous years’ lectures on UWTV.
The lecture series is funded by a bequest from Allen L. Edwards, a UW psychology professor from 1944 to his death in 1994. Edwards is credited with introducing modern statistical techniques into psychological science.
Descriptions of the 2013 lectures are below, or read more about them online:
Ecopsychology: Reinventing the Human-Nature Relationship in the Digital Age
Feb. 20
The growing field of ecopsychology explores how we can embrace both technology and the natural world. Peter Kahn, a UW psychology professor, and Scott Sampson, a research curator at the Utah Museum of Natural History, will discuss a future where people optimize their well-being and flourish in relationship with nature.
The New Science of Adolescence: Understanding Risky Behavior
Feb. 27
Attempts to educate teenagers of the consequences of their risk-taking have not led to less sex, drug use, speeding or other dangerous behaviors. Kevin King, a UW assistant psychology professor, and Laurence Steinberg, a psychology professor at Temple University, will explain why asking adolescents to think more carefully about their actions does not dampen their risk-taking, and describe what else can be done to promote positive behaviors.
Human Memory and the Law
March 6
For the past four decades, experimental psychologists have been testifying in court about how the human mind works. Two such experts – Geoffrey Loftus, a UW psychology professor, and Elizabeth Loftus, a former UW psychology professor now at the University of California, Irvine – describe their participation in homicide cases that involved various aspects of human perception, attention and memory.
