Episode 121: A New Paradigm for Psychology? episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 7, 2025 · 1H 23M

Episode 121: A New Paradigm for Psychology?

from Two Psychologists Four Beers · host Yoel Inbar, Michael Inzlicht, and Alexa Tullett

Yoel is joined by a mysterious pseudonymous duo called Slime Mold Time Mold, who are proposing a new paradigm for psychology based on principles from cybernetics. This means thinking of the behavior as the result of "governors" (think drives) that are trying to reduce the distance between a set point and the state of the world by motivating you to do stuff. So when you are thirsty, you are highly motivated to drink, and when you need to pee, you are highly motivated to find a toilet. Those are simple examples, but can we use the same principles to explain more complex phenomena like emotion, motivation, personality, mental illness, and more? That is what my guests on this episode are proposing.Special Guest: Slime Mold Time Mold.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 7, 2025

Embed this episode

Yoel is joined by a mysterious pseudonymous duo called Slime Mold Time Mold, who are proposing a new paradigm for psychology based on principles from cybernetics. This means thinking of the behavior as the result of "governors" (think drives) that are trying to reduce the distance between a set point and the state of the world by motivating you to do stuff. So when you are thirsty, you are highly motivated to drink, and when you need to pee, you are highly motivated to find a toilet. Those are simple examples, but can we use the same principles to explain more complex phenomena like emotion, motivation, personality, mental illness, and more? That is what my guests on this episode are proposing. Special Guest: Slime Mold Time Mold. Sponsored By: Statistical Horizons : Use the promo code for 20% off any seminar today! Promo Code: BEERS Links: Angel's Envy Bourbons - Kentucky Bourbons SLIME MOLD TIME MOLD – Mad Science Blogging The Mind in the Wheel Review of B. F. Skinner’s Verbal Behavior A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again - Wikipedia I Palindrome I - YouTube

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.

Ready to play

Episode 121: A New Paradigm for Psychology?

0:00 1:23:52

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Two Psychologists Four Beers?

This episode is 1 hour and 23 minutes long.

When was this Two Psychologists Four Beers episode published?

This episode was published on July 7, 2025.

Can I download this Two Psychologists Four Beers episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!