Anthony Barnhart is a dynamic and engaging keynote speaker on topics related to science, pseudoscience, skepticism, & magic.
His goal as a speaker is to arouse curiosity about the mind and instill a healthy skepticism in his audiences. Contact Tony to inquire about a keynote address for your public or private event. He has different presentations pitched for different audiences:
For broad, adult audiences:
Magic in the lab: Psychological insights from magicians
Recent years have seen widespread interest in a “science of magic” that learns from the psychological insights and methods of magicians, who are themselves informal cognitive scientists testing their hypotheses in the real world. In just the last decade, renowned magicians have authored papers meant to be read not by magicians, but by scientists who study attention and perception. In his presentation, Dr. Barnhart will discuss the long history of interaction between psychologists and magicians. Along the way, using live performance and video, he will introduce some of the techniques and theories from the world of magic that have inspired research in laboratories around the world (including his own).
Do you believe in magic? The causes and correlates of magical thinking
We all hold weird, irrational beliefs about the world around us. In fact, you probably hold some irrational beliefs that aren't even available to your consciousness! In this presentation, Dr. Barnhart will discuss the evolutionary and environmental factors that impact our tendencies toward magical thinking and the experiments that have shaped our understanding of these behaviors. Dr. Barnhart will take special aim at a set of widespread magical beliefs that persist in healthcare, from homeopathy to acupuncture and chiropractic "medicine."
The eyes have it: Magical Manipulation of Eye Movements & Awareness
Magicians are master choreographers of attention. The success of their misdirection often lies in their eye movements and the eye movements of their audiences. In this presentation, Dr. Barnhart will highlight the myriad relationships between eye movements and awareness, using live performance and video to demonstrate discoveries from his laboratory. He will attempt to convince you that psychological science can benefit from examining the techniques of performing magicians and integrating them into experimental studies.
Fossils of gooey bits: The futility of evolutionary psychology
Every reputable scientist accepts the reality of the theory of evolution. No one denies that the brain evolved. However, application of the theory of evolution to behaviors introduces a host of logical problems. The scientific tools available to us for understanding the genesis of behaviors are generally incapable of enlightening us on the extent to which they are genetically endowed. In this presentation, Dr. Barnhart introduces the central tenets of evolutionary psychology and discusses some of the scientific findings and limitations that complicate our ability to differentiate evolutionary adaptations from learned behaviors, concluding that "just so" stories do not a science make.
For educators:
Magic in the classroom: Fooling students into thinking critically
Magic tricks exploit automatic assumptions and heuristics that allow for quick decisions in the natural world. As such, they can be a powerful tool for exemplifying the fallibility of cognitive systems and encouraging students to engage in skeptical, critical thought. In this workshop, Dr. Barnhart will teach some basic magic than anyone can perform and discuss how to employ magic across diverse classroom settings toward various learning objectives.
The virtues of the selfish teacher-scholar
Typically, approaches to pedagogy are student-centric. Indeed, administrators often call for more student-centric approaches to teaching, in service of improving retention. However, there are approaches to teaching that can be as beneficial to the instructor as they are to the students. Counterintuitively, selfishness can be selfless! This informal, conversational presentation offers an opportunity to consider how faculty can engage in work that aids their profession development while also benefiting their students. (Read my InsideHigherEd essay on this topic here.)
For psychology students:
The Royal Road to psychology
In this autobiographical presentation for psychology undergraduates and grad students, Dr. Barnhart uses the story of his unusual path through psychology to generate a recipe for satisfying lives and careers in the psychological sciences. The moral of the story is that there is no Royal Road to psychology; there are many Royal Roads to psychology, and students should be creative in paving their own vocational paths.
For magicians:
What can magicians learn from cognitive scientists?
Recent years have seen widespread interest in and call for a “science of magic” that learns from the psychological insights and methods of magicians. In just the last decade, renowned magicians, like Teller, Mac King, James Randi, and Apollo Robbins, have authored papers meant to be read not by magicians, but by scientists who study attention and perception. Although much of the work up until now has been one-sided (in that scientists are benefiting from magicians), the collaboration should be a two-way street. In his presentation, Dr. Barnhart will illustrate some of the ways that magicians can enhance their performances by integrating principles and discoveries from cognitive science.
