Lectures and Panels

The CCHP hosts seminars, lectures, and panel discussions featuring eminent voices within psychology and the related human sciences.

These videos are intended for educational use and may not be reproduced elsewhere.

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Ludy T. Benjamin Headshot

Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr. Distinguished Lecture in the History of Psychology

This lecture series honors Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr., an outstanding teacher, scholar, and researcher, whose work has contributed significantly to our understanding of psychology and its history.

The annual Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr. Distinguished Lecture in the History of Psychology is hosted by the CCHP each year in May.

Get more information on the next lecture in this series.


Dr. David G. Myers: "Teaching Psychological Science in a Post-Truth Age"

Dr. David G. Myers of Hope College reflects on the "post-truth era," alternative facts, and how psychological science can aid in understanding the modern world.

Length: 50 minutes

Originally recorded: 2018

Dr. Keith Humphreys: "Alcoholics Anonymous and Psychology: A Long and Winding Road"

Dr. Keith Humphreys of Stanford University and the Veterans Health Administration discusses the history and practices of Alcoholics Anonymous and the application of these practices to the field of psychology.

Length: 76 minutes

Originally recorded: 2017

Dr. Scott Lilienfeld: "How the Rest of the World See Us: The Mixed Perception of Psychological Science in the Public Eye"

Dr. Scott Lilienfeld of Emory University discusses public and student skepticism of psychology as a science, the importance of public doubts, and recommendations for the field moving forward.

Length: 73 minutes

Originally recorded: 2016

Dr. Elizabeth Loftus: "A Life in Memory"

Dr. Elizabeth Loftus of the University of California, Irvine discusses her life, her research on the fallibility of memory, and the nature of memory formation and retrieval.

Length: 46 minutes

Originally recorded: 2015

Dr. Andrew Winston: "The Explication of Evil: Psychologists and the Holocaust, 1945-1955"

Dr. Andrew Winston of the University of Guelph describes how a few psychologists addressed Nazi concentration camps and mass murder in the aftermath of the Holocaust and the overall silence of mainstream psychology regarding these events.

Length: 51 minutes

Originally recorded: May 12, 2014

Dr. Henry "Roddy" Roediger: "Riddles of History: Sir Frederic Bartlett's Contributions to Memory Research and their Curious Reception"

Dr. Henry "Roddy" Roediger of Washington University discusses the life of Sir Frederic Bartlett and his legacy in the field of memory research.

Length: 57 minutes

Originally recorded: May 6, 2013


Other Lectures and Panels


Dr. Harrower and Shining Molly: Witnesses and Lovers in 20th Century Psychology

Author Jonathan Swinton describes the extraordinary papers of the clinical psychologist Dr. Molly Harrower (1906-1999). Her files and letters shed light on diverse topics, including the 20th century professionalization of clinical psychology and the strategies employed by women scientists to manage their lives and careers before the frameworks of 1970s feminism. But beyond this historical narrative is deeply human one, offering a more compelling and multifaceted story than many novels, with poetry, sex, romance, betrayal, ambition, disappointment, and fulfilment.

Length: 73 minutes

Originally recorded: November 3, 2022

“Kingdoms of Babes”: Home Nurseries as Medico-Moral Domains of Infants in Late 19th and Early 20th-Century America

Dr. Elisabeth M. Yang discusses how the home nursery was medicalized and transformed into a sanctified space of science, technology, religion, and politics at the turn of the 20th century. She explores what the material world of babies—the nursery and its objects—reveals to us about their moral nature and agency, suggesting an intimate link between the physical topology of babyhood and the moral ontology of babies.

Length: 61 minutes

Originally recorded: October 27, 2022

History of Two Spirit and LGBTQ Identity in Native American Community

Dr. LaDonna BlueEye of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma uses writings, paintings, and other evidence documented from an etic perspective to depict Two Spirit and LGBTQ Identify in Native American culture. This event was part of the North American First Peoples Day event series organized by the Portage Path Collaborative.

Length: 50 minutes

Originally recorded: August 12, 2022

Navigating “Topics to Avoid at the Dinner Table:” How Documents Influence High Stakes Conversations

This talk explores the real-life interactions we have with friends, family, and coworkers about topics we’re generally supposed to avoid. Dr. Toni Bisconti, Associate Professor of Psychology at The University of Akron, discusses research and practice on how and when to enter these conversations—and how and when to avoid them.

Length: 61 minutes

Originally recorded: August 12, 2022

Rethinking Race at The University of Akron: A Native American Perspective

Dr. LaDonna BlueEye of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma discusses her family's history, including military code talkers and residential school survivors, and her own experience working in voting rights. This event was part of the Rethinking Race: Black, White, and Beyond event series at The University of Akron.

Length: 58 minutes

Originally recorded: March 1, 2022

Student Talks: Erika Fromm & the Black Student Psychological Association

Graduate students in The University of Akron's History of Psychology course present two talks based on their research in the Archives of the History of American Psychology. Montana Drawbaugh and Hannah LaMack present on the life and work of Erika Fromm, while Sianne Alexis, Auriel Jasper-Morris, and Audrey Tesi share a history of the Black Student Psychological Association.

Length: 64 minutes

Originally recorded: November 30, 2021

Psychology in New York: Its Fascinating History

Since 1879, why has no city on earth had a greater impact on the science and practice of psychology than New York? Psychologist Harold Takooshian addresses this question and provides an illustrated tour of the remarkable sweep of psychology in New York, including its people, places, and events.

Length: 54 minutes

Originally recorded: September 29, 2021

Panel: Current Topics in LGBTQ+ Psychology and Mental Health

This panel discussion covers the current relationship between the LGBTQ+ community and mental health fields—what has changed since the 1973 removal of homosexuality from the DSM-II, and how can we better serve LGBTQ+ communities?

Length: 60 minutes

Originally recorded: October 8, 2020

Dr. Philip Zimbardo: "My Journey from Creating Evil to Inspiring Heroism"

In this presentation, Dr. Philip Zimbardo of the Stanford Prison Experiment discusses the psychology of evil and heroism.

Length: 90 minutes

Originally recorded: October 5, 2015

Dr. Roger Smith: "Science Encounters the Humanities: History of Kinaesthesia/Touch and Metaphors of Feeling"

Dr. Roger Smith explores the history of scientific research on kinaesthesia/touch alongside metaphors of 'touching' (as 'I'm touched by your kindness') to illustrate the interconnections between sciences and humanities within psychology.

Length: 52 minutes

Originally recorded: 2014

Dr. James Lamiell: "William Stern (1871-1938) and the Origin Myth of Differential Psychology"

Dr. James Lamiell talks about the origin myth of William Stern as the father of differential psychology, as well as the evolution of the field over the 20th century.

Length: 61 minutes

Originally recorded: October 25, 2011

Measuring Minds: Instrumentation and Apparatus in the History of Psychology

Historians of psychology Dr. Ryan D. Tweney and Dr. Rand Evans discuss the rise of instruments and apparatus in the early history of American psychology, focusing on the importance of instruments during this period and the ways in which they changed the field.

Length: 141 minutes

Originally recorded: 2008

Dr. OJ Harvey on the Robbers Cave Experiment

In this colloquium, Dr. OJ Harvey, a student and collaborator of Muzafer Sherif, talks about Muzafer and Carolyn Wood Sherif, their Robbers Cave Experiment on intergroup competition, and his participation in its design and completion.

Length: 59 minutes

Originally recorded: 2006