The podcast I listened to was When Things Click: The Power Of Judgement-Free Learning on NPR.
This podcast was different from most of the podcasts I usually listen to. This podcast was about how people learn, and using the clicking technique to learn.
This podcast was 50 minutes long so there are quite a few things they talked about.
The podcast starts off with the host, Shankar Vedantam introducing a biologist named Karen Pryor. They have a conversation and basically talk about how anyone can train a dolphin if they have the right methods, and how certain things influence behavior. Vedantam then speaks to a psychologist named Barry Schwartz. They talked about an experiment about a pigeon, how the pigeon becomes engaged with the machine when food (a reward) is introduced. They also talk about an experiment with a rat, how the rat was able to turn off an electrical current (which inflicted pain) by itself due to negative reinforcement. The pigeon and rat were able to teach themselves things that benefited themselves.
Next, they introduce a dog owner named Martin Levy. He talks about how using a clicker for a dog can work the same for a human. An example is when Levy trains his students to throw a frisbee. Vedantam narrates “Martin discovered that the feedback he provided with the clicker seemed more effective than any verbal praise or criticism he could give.” The students were able to associate the clicking sound with good feeling, and not feel pressured or stressed out by words or correction.
Levy also uses a knot tying example to further support his clicker technique. The host is later used as a demetasion and Levy uses his clicker to help teach Vedantam (the host) to tie a knot himself. At the end, they conclude that a clicker is like a video game. Everytime you hear a click, it is a sign to keep going. If you don’t, just try again, like a video game.
This podcast was lengthy. I think the switches in stories really kept the listeners on their toes. The different storylines were nicely structured. I did not feel bored of a certain story, or feel like one was too long. I also like how they were different stories but still were under the category of learning.
At first I did not think there was going to be emotion. Most of the podcasts I have heard are emotion driven, like the last podcast I listened to “Dog Save the People”. However, this podcast does have a small amount of emotion playing. At the beginning the narrator says “I might have internalized the wrong lessons – that I was bad at math or that my father thought poorly of me.” This shows emotion as listeners can empathise with the speaker. This being put in the beginning creates an interesting hook, which makes the listener want to keep listening.
Since this podcast did not play with much emotions, they focused on keeping the content interesting. I felt fascinated with the new information that was coming at me. That was what kept me listening and engaged. I was able to learn something new through this podcast.
Music was barely played, which made the listener focus more on the speaker’s tone of voice. I think that is very important to focus on when creating a podcast, because music can play a big part in emotion and attention. Having no music makes the podcast more serious and educational.
I think having the host demonstrate the clicker technique during the podcast made the technique more convincing since this gives us a more unbiased view on it. Our brains believe things that we see/hear by ourselves.
I also did not expect this podcast to be related with dogs. The last podcast I listened to was about dogs. They both had different content but i thought it was interesting.
While listening to the clicking method being talked about, it convinced me to buy a clicker for my own dogs. Just listening to how well it works persuaded me to try out the experience myself. So while listening, I ordered a clicker on Amazon. I think that is what makes a successful podcast, when it makes the listener do something they would not do by themselves.
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Hi Kayland!
I was particularly interested in your podcast and what you had to say since it seems to be centered around psychology. I have always been intrigued by psychology and even took an AP class in my senior year of high school, unfortunately due to covid I wasn’t able to finish the class and seeing things I’ve learned resurface once again feels good!
Something I like about this podcast that you’ve chosen is that they seem to bring a variety of people together in just 50 minutes. From experts such as Biologist Karen Pryor and Psychologist Barry Schwartz to friendly dog owner Martin Levy. I think this gives us the listener a lot of different instances and perspectives on the way a clicker can be used and that it’s not just for professionals but also for everyday use. Which I think leads to the message that psychology is useful in everyday life for any kind of person.
I also like how you pointed out that there was surprise coming from your end when you realized that they managed to bring emotion to something on the informational and educational side. I think including emotions in a mostly informative podcast helps the listener feel more engaged since most of us tend to be empathetic and thus leading us to be more inclined to listen to what they have to say and share with us.
Although my podcast being about true crime and yours being about the psychology behind the use of clickers make it seem like they are on totally opposite ends of the spectrum. I have to disagree. Well, they are pretty different when it comes to the intended purpose the Host or Podcast is trying to convey. However, I think they can still be connected via psychology! Most true crime lovers(myself included) are very curious about the psychology behind killers and what drives them to do the awful things they do. Just for this reason I feel compelled to listen to more informative podcasts centered around psych such as the one you listened to in order to get a better understanding of the world and people around me.
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