The Great Disconnect uncovers why, in a world seemingly more connected than ever before, people are feeling more and more socially isolated
Subjects: Psychology
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Mass Killings: The Role of the Media
The Columbine High school shooting was the most covered news story of 1999 in the United States. It set a precedent for the blanket coverage of random mass killings we see today: the rush to the crime scene; the pictures of the killer; their life story; their posts. But could this media coverage be contributing to the problem? This film looks at the evidence and the movement to change media coverage of mass shootings.
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Secularisation: The Decline of Religion?
With contributions from leading experts on the study of religion, this film gives students a new take on secularisation theory. While secularisation theory assumes that in pre-modernity religion was everywhere whereas in modernity it’s almost nowhere, more recent research suggests that rather than disappearing, religion is undergoing a process of diversification, with the emergence of new and different forms of spirituality. The film introduces students to the concept of secularisation, its relationship to modernisation, and a range of evaluative points that can be brought to bear in any discussion of secularisation.
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Of Mice and Monkeys: Ethical Issues in Animal Research
Psychological research is governed by a strict code of ethics covering things like obtaining participants’ consent; protecting them from possible harm and allowing them to withdraw from the research. But there are some “participants” who can’t give consent, may be harmed and are unable to withdraw from the research. Using research examples, this film looks at the use of non-human animals in research. Why are they used? What are the benefits? What is being done to protect them? And, is any research with non-human animals a breach of their ‘rights’?
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A Mythology of Mass Killers
Mass killings, described by the FBI as four or more unlawful killings in a single event, devastate communities and create fear across countries. But if we’re going to begin to understand what makes someone randomly kill large numbers of people, it’s important to distinguish between the evidence and the mythology. This film examines three major myths: that random mass killings are a relatively recent phenomenon; that all mass killers are insane; and that mass killing is a form of “suicide by cop”.
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Determinism and Free Will
Do we really have free will? And, if so, where does it come from? In this film, Professor Patrick Haggard explains the differences between free will and behavioural, psychic and neurological determinism. We then reconstruct Benjamin Libet’s seminal experiment on determinism, showing its implications for understanding consciousness and explaining human behaviour.
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Individualistic and Situational Psychology
Most psychology is individualistic, suggesting that people’s behaviour is a product of their biological inheritance and personal experiences. This short film, using original footage from Zimbardo’s famous Stanford Prison Experiment, illustrates an alternative idea that people can be literally transformed by the situations in which they find themselves.
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Bowlby: Attachment & Maternal Deprivation
In the 1930s a young psychiatrist noticed how many of the disturbed children he saw had been separated from their parents in early life. This was John Bowlby whose work had a massive influence on how psychologists thought about child development. This film explains the key aspects of his classic theory of attachment: the innate need to bond, the care of an attachment figure and maternal deprivation. An ideal introduction to support students starting this topic.
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Ainsworth: The Strange Situation
While John Bowlby focussed on the consequences of a lack of attachment, Mary Ainsworth took a step back and looked at the nature of attachment and famously documented different types. In this film we look at her classic strange situation with film of the experiments and expert comment from three psychologists.
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Mind-Mindedness and Attachment Security
Psychologists have long been aware that attachment security may be transmitted from one generation to the next. But how does this happen? A new idea here is the importance of mind-mindedness, a carer’s ability to tune into what their child may be thinking or feeling. This film looks at Professor Elizabeth Meins’ influential experimental research showing that mind-mindedness is a clear predictor of attachment security.