The latest developments in The Traitors unpacked by University Psychologists

In The Psychology Of... The Traitors podcast Dr Kevin Hochard, Head of Psychology at the University is joined by Forensic Psychology Lecturer Connor Pell and Senior Lecturer Dr Nicola Lasikiewicz to discuss episodes 7, 8 and 9. 

In this episode the team unpack the fallout of the confrontation between ‘Traitor hunter’ Harriet and the ‘master Traitor’ Rachel. They explore why Claudia's spooky cabin impacted the players and that added fear and stress could have helped them spot clear signs that someone was a Faithful. 

The team shared their admiration for the designers of the missions suggesting that a psychologist maybe part of the team creating challenges to bring out different reactions amongst the players. Looking at the ‘Faithful Fountain’ mission, Kevin suggested that James taking the shield and then not telling anyone seemed to be a ‘very Faithful thing to do’ with Nicola pointing out that his fellow players saw it in a different way with Roxy calling it ‘deceitful behaviour’.  

They also explore how quickly the Faithful forget vital information due to ‘information overload’ meaning that they seem to react to what is happening at that current time. Nicola discusses how Jade feels close to giving up after suffering from the ‘psychological exhaustion’ of always being under suspicion of being a Traitor and Connor examines micro-expressions after Rachel’s revelation that she has undergone FBI training in this area. 

Kevin said: “With the final episodes airing this week we’re really looking forward to seeing who wins this series. Watching the twists and turns and the behaviour of the players has been fascinating.”

To listen to the latest podcast visit https://open.spotify.com/episode/3cRL1Jkt7PReesDbLFApYb