The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast

Mitchell Croot and Kristy Bohan

Attempting to fill the gap between entertainment and academic interests, The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast hopes to present deeper explorations of the human experience. read less

Our Editor's Take

Cognitive dissonance is one of the more important concepts in psychology. It refers to the feeling one has when they hear or see a piece of information they know is not correct. The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast discusses this from an analytic viewpoint.

The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast has two hosts and creators. They are Mitchell Croot and Kristy Bohan. The two are close friends, though they come from different educational backgrounds. Croot is a US Army veteran who is now a high school history teacher. He holds both a BA and an MA in history.

Bohan is a psychologist with a background in behavior analysis. She specializes in working with clients who have intellectual disabilities. She often sees the world through a scientific lens, especially when it comes to human behavior.

The podcast sees the two hosts discussing a wide variety of different topics. These can include anything from Egyptian mythology to social media's impact on people. This wide-ranging focus helps to keep the podcast interesting to listen to.

One of the podcast's more compelling aspects is how the hosts interact with one another. Because they come from different educational focuses, they differ in their viewpoints. Croot is more interested in the historical aspect of a given topic and what its past might say about the future.

Bohan's fascination is with how behavioral science is a part of everyday life. As such, she can view most topics through a scientific lens. She is much more interested than Croot in tangible facts that are provable.

Each host alternates between picking the topic of a given podcast episode. When looking at the subject matter, it is easy to discern which host picked the topic.

New episodes of The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast premiere infrequently. Those with an interest in the podcast should track it to know when new episodes are available.

read less
ScienceScience

Episodes

Episode 20 - Mysterious Men of Mystery
Jan 26 2024
Episode 20 - Mysterious Men of Mystery
What do High Priest Imhotep, Druidic Leader Diviciacus, Edward Alexander Crowley, Franz Anton Mesmer, and Grigori Rasputin all have in common?  Find out during this latest episode where we explore some key examples throughout history of the archetypal Mystic. Works Cited: Wildung, D. (1977). Egyptian Saints: Deification in pharaonic Egypt. New York University Press. p. 34. Fuhrmann, Joseph T. (2012). Rasputin: The Untold Story. Trade Paper Press. Kristy Bohan Edmunds is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She serves clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 19 - It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christianity
Dec 15 2023
Episode 19 - It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christianity
In this episode, we examine the spread of Christianity into Europe from the perspective of cultural transmission and state building in the void left by the collapse of the western Roman Empire.  How did those peoples wrestle with differing world views?  What does our understanding of those times tell us about who we are today? Works cited:  The Age of Faith, Will Durant, Fine Communications, 1997. Children of Ash and Elm, Neil Price, Basic Books, 2022. The Anglo Saxons, Marc Morris, Pegasus Books, 2021. Kristy Bohan Edmunds is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She serves clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 18 - Mythology Part 2
Sep 15 2023
Episode 18 - Mythology Part 2
In this episode, we discuss Homo naledi, a recent hominid species discovered in southern Africa, their apparent ritualistic burials, and how interesting it is that they exhibit behaviors akin to Homo sapiens some 200,000 years earlier.  We also discuss creation myths and the underlying theme of ordering chaos and it's parallels with limiting infinite possibility space rendering that space useful and meaningful.  It's a deep yet fun conversation that Kristy and Mitchell both hope you enjoy. Kristy Bohan Edmunds is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She serves clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 17 - Mythology Part 1
Jul 21 2023
Episode 17 - Mythology Part 1
Forward: I apologize to our listeners for my audio in this episode.  Everything started off fine, but my microphone glitches out after the first 1/3 of the episode.  Switching to a back up allowed us to finish the episode at the cost of my audio quality.  Please remember that, while we strive to bring our listeners the best quality podcast that we can produce, we pay out-of-pocket for everything and make nothing in return.  This is a casual intellectual outlet for us, and as long as it remains a hobby we will continue to run a higher risk of things like this happening.  If and when we can begin garnishing support from our audience, then we can increase the consistency of quality productions. This episode was a ton of fun to prepare for and record! Kristy and I discuss mythology, specifically focusing on Egyptian mythology (the Myth of Osiris) with some Roman mythology mixed in.  In true Cognitive Dissonance Podcast style, we dive deep into analyzing why humanity has dispositions towards creating myths and what those myths can tell us about human psychology.  This will be a multipart series, and we plan to cover a wide variety of myths from many different cultures as starting points for exploring the greater human experience.  We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it! Kristy Bohan Edmunds is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She serves clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 16 - Games, Roles, and Political Attitudes
May 22 2023
Episode 16 - Games, Roles, and Political Attitudes
Well, this was a unique episode.  We start of discussing the psychology of games, then we examine a bit of role clarity and role acquisition.  Afterwards, we explore a deep rabbit hole about the role of government, expectations for individuals, the nature of rights, and balancing policy between interventions and preservation of individual liberties.  I debated whether to publish this episode or store it as a back-up, but Kristy and I both agreed that we do an excellent job modeling how to have a conversation with healthy disagreement, which is a skill that we are losing as a society.   Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and began working on her certification in Behavior Analysis. She serves clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 15 - Social Psychology Part 3 Attachment, Neurophysiology, and Consciousness
Apr 7 2023
Episode 15 - Social Psychology Part 3 Attachment, Neurophysiology, and Consciousness
Welcome back to another exciting episode! In this episode, Kristy and Mitchell trace how embodiment of various social roles unlocks new genetic potential as our bodies respond to new environments by synthesizing proteins that we had been unable to before. Further, we explore how new environments stimulate neuroplasticity allowing us to reshape our cognitive structures and think about the world in new and different ways. In short, our conclusion is that major life events do not just change a person metaphysically or philosophically, they actually change a person down to the molecular level. How fascinating! Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and began working on her certification in Behavior Analysis. She serves clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 13 - Social Psychology Pt 1
Jan 18 2023
Episode 13 - Social Psychology Pt 1
New year, same old show! We decided to start the new year with a new multipart series on social psychology. Now, more than ever, social psychology matters in ways it never has before. With social media and a myriad of social pressures that we engage with and consume hour by hour and day by day, understanding social psychology can have a major impact on how we live our day to day lives. Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and began working on her certification in Behavior Analysis. She hopes to be board certified in early 2022 where she will continue to service clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 12 - Religion and Spirituality pt. 3
Nov 24 2022
Episode 12 - Religion and Spirituality pt. 3
Welcome back to another episode of the Cognitive Dissonance Podcast!  In this episode, Kristy and Mitchell discuss the concept of an afterlife, how that concept might have originated, and why we think it might be integral to the human experience.  We also discuss the connected topics of object permanence, depressions, meaning, animal psychology, and even some metaphysics and the nature of reality.  This episode was a blast to record and a fun topic to explore to wrap up our three-part series on religion and spirituality from a psychological perspective.  If you enjoy what Kristy and Mitchell are doing, please like, subscribe, share, comment, and drop a review.  Creating content is only as meaningful as the foot traffic and feedback we can get regarding our thoughts and ideas.  Without further ado, happy Thanksgiving and we hope you enjoy Religion and Spirituality part 3. Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and began working on her certification in Behavior Analysis. She hopes to be board certified in early 2022 where she will continue to service clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 11 - Religion and Spirituality pt. 2
Nov 8 2022
Episode 11 - Religion and Spirituality pt. 2
Don't worry, we haven't quit yet! We are back with another riveting episode, this time a continuation of our discussion on Religion and Spirituality. We begin by discussing Roland Griffiths' research out of Johns Hopkins University regarding psychedelic chemicals and the mystical experiences they can produce. Then we shift to analyzing religion as a set of behavioral principles. In part 3 we will explore mortality, the afterlife, and religion's role in humanity's cultural evolution. Enjoy! Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and began working on her certification in Behavior Analysis. She hopes to be board certified in early 2022 where she will continue to service clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 10 - Depression
Aug 1 2022
Episode 10 - Depression
In our 10th episode, Kristy and Mitchell discuss depression, its myriad causes, and different treatment techniques.  We approach depression from a pharmacological perspective, exploring the uses and effects of serotonin and SSRI medications on mood and personality.  We also flip our focus and examine depression from a cognitive and conceptual perspective, discussing how our narratives, thoughts, and verbal behaviors influence our proclivities for depressive episodes.  Lastly, we craft a metaphysical conception of depression and how it ties to the experiences of being human. It wouldn't be a landmark episode for us without some technical difficulties.  Please forgive the audio quality on Mitchell's end.  We have had quite the number of lightning and thunderstorms come through the area in the last few days, and our electronics have been wonky.  We hope to have the issues resolved by our next episode.  We appreciate your patience and continued support! Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and began working on her certification in Behavior Analysis. She hopes to be board certified in early 2022 where she will continue to service clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 9 - Psychology of Spirituality and Religion
Jun 28 2022
Episode 9 - Psychology of Spirituality and Religion
Forward: I present incorrect information during this episode regarding jumping spiders and their vision.  I incorrectly state that jumping spiders move their brains to focus their vision, when in actuality they move telescopic-like tubes connected to their static lenses within what would be their brain cavity.  For an excellent video illustrating this incredible process, see: https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2015/08/13/see-a-jumping-spiders-eyes-move-in-its-head/  Other perspectives we cover in this episode are whether cults are still cults if they are actually correct in their teachings, we begin a discussion on what is truth, we explore consciousness, the brain as a heuristic device for consciousness, and whether physical organizational principles can have measurable effects on people's well-beings, among other things.  We get pretty deep, and I am excited to revisit this topic at some point in the future.  Hope you all enjoy!   Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and began working on her certification in Behavior Analysis. She hopes to be board certified in early 2022 where she will continue to service clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 8 - Surfin’ the Socials Part 2
May 19 2022
Episode 8 - Surfin’ the Socials Part 2
Welcome back to another episode of The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast!  In this episode, Kristy and I discuss social media and its relation to social incentives, impulse control, and exposure therapy.  We also venture into the realm of ADHD and how it is entangled with social media.  Finally, we talk self-diagnoses and also the pernicious effect that most studies suggest social media use can have on mental health. Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and began working on her certification in Behavior Analysis. She hopes to be board certified in early 2022 where she will continue to service clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 3 - Language and Behavior Modification
Feb 28 2022
Episode 3 - Language and Behavior Modification
In this episode, Mitchell and Kristy discuss the evolution of language, dual patterning, the fundamental substructure of reality, and the phenomenon of emergence, among other things. If you have not read Mitchell's SubStack post exploring language, you should check it out as a good primer for this discussion: https://mitchellcroot.substack.com/p/boundaries-and-descriptions?r=hhe57&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and began working on her certification in Behavior Analysis. She hopes to be board certified in early 2022 where she will continue to service clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.
Episode 2 - Social Circles
Feb 22 2022
Episode 2 - Social Circles
Welcome back! In this episode, Kristy and I discuss social circles, evolutionary psychology, heuristics, domestication of animals, and we even touch on consciousness. Internet connectivity was a bit sketchy during our recording, and I am still figuring out the mono rather than stereo of certain parts of our audio. I appreciate everyone's patience; it's been a steep learning curve, but keep pace with us and we'll all grow on this adventure together. Kristy Bohan is a cofounder and contributor to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. Kristy received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry in 2018, and an MS in Psychology in 2020 and began working on her certification in Behavior Analysis. She hopes to be board certified in early 2022 where she will continue to service clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as a behavior consultant in Oregon. Kristy takes a behavior analytic perspective to life and uses this philosophy to inform her work and her day to day life. Kristy believes in psychology as a hard, natural science. Mitchell Croot is one of the founders and contributors to The Cognitive Dissonance Podcast. A father of four, a US Army veteran, and a high school educator, Mitchell holds a BA in History with a minor in Secondary Education from Catawba College and an MA in History from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His interests include colonial North America, the American Revolution, culture and cultural transmission, philosophy, psychology, and music.