Two Psychologists Four Beers - Episodes Tagged with “Empathy”

Episode 131: What's Wrong With AI (with Molly Crockett)

Yoel Inbar, Michael Inzlicht, and Alexa Tullett — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:30:00 -0400

Cognitive scientist Molly Crockett joins the show to talk about what it's like to be known in the field as an "AI skeptic." We talk about where Molly is actually skeptical, but also what she thinks that label gets wrong. Along the way, we cover a bunch of other things too: Molly's research in social neuroscience, computational modeling, and moral psychology; Molly and Mickey's disagreements about empathic AI; and Molly's case for what she's calling "thick empathy." Finally, Molly makes a pitch for non-alcoholic beer, which sadly falls on deaf ears.

Special Guest: Molly Crockett.

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Episode 117: Good News for the Chronics (with Mickey Inzlicht)

Yoel Inbar, Michael Inzlicht, and Alexa Tullett — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:00:00 -0500

On-again off-again co-host Mickey Inzlicht joins the show to debrief about the recent SPSP (Society for Personality and Social Psychology) conference. We then dissect a new paper purporting to show working memory deficits in heavy cannabis users, including a deep dive into the preregistration. Finally, we discuss a recent Op-Ed in the Guardian that argues that research on AI empathy is fatally flawed.

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Episode 8: Confessions of a Science Critic (with James Heathers)

Yoel Inbar, Michael Inzlicht, and Alexa Tullett — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 06:00:00 -0400

Yoel and Mickey welcome Northeastern University research scientist and science critic James Heathers to their show. Yoel, Mickey, and James discuss science reform and the need for robust science criticism. Why is it so hard for some (older) scientists to admit their mistakes? Do science critics feel empathy for the scholars they criticize? Is there a danger of science criticism going too far, even over-correcting? What exactly is Yoel drinking this episode?

Bonus: James discusses his fascinating research on people who can control their goosebumps.

Bonus Bonus: Yoel and Mickey submit to James's break-music request.

Special Guest: James Heathers.

Links:

Molson Canadian | Premium Lager
Big Cranky - Stony Creek BreweryStony Creek Brewery
Retraction Watch – Tracking retractions as a window into the scientific process
Meet the ‘data thugs’ out to expose shoddy and questionable research | Science | AAAS
Why We Find And Expose Bad Science – Medium — Why We Find And Expose Bad Science (It isn’t because we’re mean.)
Here’s How Cornell Scientist Brian Wansink Turned Shoddy Data Into Viral Studies About How We Eat -- BuzzFeed — Brian Wansink won fame, funding, and influence for his science-backed advice on healthy eating. Now, emails show how the Cornell professor and his colleagues have hacked and massaged low-quality data into headline-friendly studies to “go virally big time.”
The voluntary control of piloerection [PeerJ]
The People Who Can Control Their Goose Bumps - The Atlantic — Everyone cannot do it. But Palejko is not alone, either. He is among dozens of people that James Heathers, a postdoctoral researcher at Northeastern University, identified during and after a recent study on the phenomenon. Heathers posted a preprint—which has not yet been peer reviewed—describing 32 people who can control their goose bumps, and he’s been contacted by several others since. Many of them, like Palejko, had thought this ability was perfectly ordinary for most of their lives. Palejko told me his brother can do it, too.
Creating goosebumps at will may be more interesting than it sounds | Ars Technica

Episode 5: I Love How You Hurt Me (with Paul Bloom)

Yoel Inbar, Michael Inzlicht, and Alexa Tullett — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 06:00:00 -0400

Yoel and Mickey welcome Yale psychologist Paul Bloom to the show, their very first guest. In a far ranging conversation, Yoel, Mickey, and Paul discuss the potential benefits of pain. Why do we sometimes choose to suffer? Are there any benefits (to self or society) to being a painful or disagreeable person? Why do we enjoy and seek out aversive fiction, be that in books, TV, or film? Why do so many of the goals that we set and pursue involve pain and suffering?

Bonus: Yoel, Mickey, and Paul each completed a validated measure of agreeableness. Can you guess who came out on “top”?

Special Guest: Paul Bloom.

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