This is Episode 13 of PsychCrunch, the podcast from the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, sponsored by Routledge Psychology. Download here.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/psychcrunch/20160829_PsychCrunch_Ep13_Mx1.mp3

Can psychology help us to learn better? Our presenter Christian Jarrett discovers the best evidence-backed strategies for learning, including the principle of spacing, the benefits of testing yourself and teaching others. He also hears about the perils of overconfidence and the lack of evidence for popular educational ideas like “learning styles” and “brain gym”.

Our guests, in order of appearance, are: Nate Kornell, associate professor at Williams College; Paul Howard-Jones, author of Evolution of the Learning Brain (find out more) and professor of neuroscience and education at the University of Bristol; and Abby Knoll, doctoral student at Central Michigan University.

Background reading for this episode:

Episode credits: Presented and produced by Christian Jarrett. Mixing and editing Jeff Knowler. PsychCrunch theme music Catherine Loveday and Jeff Knowler. Art work Tim Grimshaw.

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Past episodes:

Episode one: Dating and Attraction

Episode two: Breaking Bad Habits

Episode three: How to Win an Argument

Episode four: The Psychology of Gift Giving

Episode five: How To Learn a New Language

Episode six: How To Be Sarcastic 😉

Episode seven: Use Psychology To Compete Like an Olympian.

Episode eight: Can We Trust Psychological Studies?

Episode nine: How To Get The Best From Your Team

Episode ten: How To Stop Procrastinating

Episode eleven: How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Episode twelve: How To Be Funnier

PsychCrunch is sponsored by Routledge Psychology.

Routledge interviewed PsychCrunch presenter Christian Jarrett about the aims of the podcast and engaging with the public about psychology research.