Psychological Science

Speaker: Martin Voracek

 

What are the cognitive, emotional, social, and neural foundations of human behavior? And how do these foundations develop, interact and change across the lifespan? Which factors determine psychological well-being, and whether we develop psychological disorders? How do humans make decisions, and how can psychological science be used to better inform decisions made by individuals, as well as societies as a whole?

These are some, but certainly not all, of the questions addressed by the CoBeNe faculty members in the domain of Psychological Science. We focus on the description and elucidation of human experience and behavior, and the changes they undergo. Our objective is to investigate a broad range of research questions, from the foundations and mechanisms of relevant psychological processes to the evidence-based application and transfer of the insights gained therefrom. Basic and application-oriented research are considered equally important, intertwined, and mutually related. On the basis of research approaches in the areas of neuroscience, cognitive, and social sciences that complement each other in an integrative way, we seek to make theoretically sound and empirically testable contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge, as well as its application. A particular emphasis is put on obtaining insights into the effects of societal, social, and technological change on human experience and behavior. In this vein, we explicitly consider social responsibility (and therefore academia’s "third mission") to be one of our objectives. We are thus looking for highly motivated students with an interdisciplinary mindset, who are looking to obtain research training not only in how to better understand human experience and behavior, but also in how to apply and transfer such knowledge to address current fundamental challenges facing individuals and societies.

 

More information about all group leaders of this program: