Lab Members
Scientific Interests
In the past 10 years I have been working on the neural foundations of social cognition and social emotions, especially empathy and prosocial behaviors. The focus of my research is both in the normal developing and clinical population (especially autism and alexithymia). I recently expanded my interests to the investigation of the neurobiological mechanisms behind social reward.
Scientific Interests
My research focuses on the neural basis of social attention and social motivation in autism spectrum disorder, specifically the importance of the interaction between the opiod- and the oxytocin-system in modulating these processes. For this, I will be using interactive eye tracking and computational reinforcement learning models. I also have previously gathered some experience in topics related to primary and social reward processing using EMG and fMRI.
Scientific Interests
I'm interested in neuronal plasticity and how functional and structural changes in the brain influence our behavior. Currently I'm investigating the effects of music therapy on the brain, using functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging. I'm also interested in the neuronal underpinnings of psychopathy and criminal behavior and possible implications for law enforcement.
Scientific Interests
My research explores the cognitive and neural foundations of autism, specifically delving into predictive processing. I am particularly intrigued by understanding how music therapy intersects with these facets. Currently, I am working on the Music4Autism project, aiming to understand the effects of music theraphy for autistic children, focusing on, how it can lead to functional and structural changes in the brain and how this translates to behaviour.
Scientific Interests
My research focuses on the investigation of the neurobiological mechanisms behind social reward. Specifically I am interested in the role the opiod- and the oxytocin-system and their interaction in social reward processing. To this end I utilize pharmacological manipulation along with the functional MRI and concurrent facial EMG.
Scientific Interests
My research will be part of the IP-PAD project, focusing on group empathy among adolescents. I’m specifically interested in the role of empathy beliefs in political engagement, political attitudes and ideologies, and polarization. I will use the longitudinal survey, behavioral experiment, and eye-tracking.
Scientific Interests
I am interested in the topics of dehumanisation and its link to social cognition and behavior.
Scientific Interests
My research interests concern social-emotional learning and psychological wellbeing in school. I have previously focused on links between peer relationships, social-emotional skills and wellbeing in the school context. Currently, I am working on the COMET4Kids project, which aims to improve child mental health literacy in primary school. We conduct qualitative research workshops in schools and link them with innovative methods to assess mental health in children (ecological momentary assessments and virtual reality)
Scientific Interests
My research explores how adolescents perceive others at physically different developmental stages, influencing stereotypical perceptions and social behaviour. Additionally, I focus on social-emotional learning and psychological well-being during the transition from primary to secondary school, particularly addressing social-emotional skills and how they impact social fears. Currently, I am working on the COMET4Kids project, aiming to improve mental health literacy among primary school children.
Scientific Interests
My research revolves around topics of social isolation and social reward. I have studied social isolation and loneliness using both experimental and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) approaches, where the focus was on subjective stress, mood, fatigue, and physiological stress responses. Since recently, I am learning to use functional near infrared spectroscopy to study interbrain synchrony in lonely individuals.
Alumni
Scientific Interests
My research interests orbit around social perception and social reward processing. Early in my career, I mastered the use of TMS to study the physiology and the plastic properties of healthy brains in young adults and the elderly in the context of motor, perceptual, and social tasks. Currently, my research strand investigates altered mechanisms of social and non-social reward processing in clinical populations such as autistic persons and eating disorder patients. To this end, I make use of functional MRI and concurrent facial EMG.
Scientific Interests
My research focussed on the mental disorder anorexia nervosa. In particular, I investigated the processing of social and non-social rewards in anorexia nervosa using functional MRI and simultaneous EMG of the face. I am also very interested in a holistic understanding of the disorder.
Scientific Interests
My research focuses on play therapy, children with autism, and brain EEG activity. Currently I’m investigating the impact of child-centered play therapy on children with autism as reflected by brain EEG activity. I am also a registered psychologist in Hong Kong interested and specialized in child counseling and children with SEN.
Scientific Interests
My research interests are in the area of social behavior, social cognition and social emotions. I worked on empathy and vicarious emotions, in particular pain. I am currently working on the neurochemical and neurocognitive basis of primary and social reward.