Our understanding of the human mind has been shaped by 200 years of accidents, inquiries, tests and observations. Here are the stories behind 33 of psychology's most famous and influential experiments, and their creators.
Award-winning broadcaster and psychology lecturer Claudia Hammond uncovers the often surprising and sometimes dark histories behind landmark studies such as The Stanford Prison Experiment, Harlow's Monkeys, Little Albert and the Marshmallow Test. Can their lessons be applied to us today, were they even correct in the first place, and - in some cases - should these experiments have happened at all?
In addition to covering topics like memory, parenting, gender, dreams, superstition and phobias, Mindchangers recounts how Abraham Maslow defined humans' hierarchy of needs, Anna Freud revealed the importance of child observation, Solomon Asch proved how we conform to what's expected of us, and Carl Rogers' patient-centred approach changed psychotherapy forever.
Why do we hear our name immediately when it's whispered in a crowded room? What really happened when people were asked to administer life-threatening electric shocks, and what can it tell us about the rise of Nazism? What does Chinese Whispers tell us about memory? How did an experiment with a doll alert us to the dangers of imitative behaviour? Can eyewitness testimony be trusted? And what can we learn about language from a boy raised by wolves? Mindchangers provides the fascinating answers to all of these questions, and many more.
Claudia is an award-winning broadcaster, writer and psychology lecturer. She is the presenter of All in the Mind & Mind Changers on BBC Radio 4 and Health Check on BBC World Service Radio and BBC World News TV. She is a columnist for BBC.com and regularly appears on Impact on BBC World News to discuss research in psychology. Claudia is on the part-time faculty at Boston University's London base where she lectures in health and social psychology. She is an Associate Director of Hubbub - a 22 month residency examining the topic of rest at Wellcome Collection.