Social Cognition
About
Our research group investigates the cognitive and neural foundations of social cognition – the mental processes that enable social interaction and communication. A key focus lies on “self–other distinction”: the ability to differentiate between one’s own perspective and that of another. This requires a stable sense of self and the capacity to distinguish oneself from others. We also consider constitutive aspects of subjectivity, such as spatial and temporal experience.
Research Topics
Our work spans classical approaches like Theory of Mind, mentalizing, and perspective-taking, as well as the analysis of nonverbal cues such as gaze, gestures, and facial expressions – all central to social interaction. Another emphasis is on the cognitive mechanisms underlying self–other differentiation, for example during spatial perspective shifts or the experience of agency, space, and time. We are interested not only in universal cognitive processes, but also in individual and contextual variability. This includes studies on social cognition in people with high-functioning autism, where social abilities may be impaired despite intact general cognition. We also examine how socio-cultural contexts influence social perception and interaction.
Time Research and Subjectivity
An important central aspect of our work is the subjective experience of time as a key component of subjectivity. Inspired by Eugène Minkowski, we understand subjectivity as a bodily grounded experience of space and time – the “moi – ici – maintenant”.
We currently explore how people perceive the passage of time (Passage-of-Time Judgements, PoTJ), especially in response to virtual reality stimuli. EEG recordings and machine learning techniques are used to identify and model the neural correlates of this subjective experience. A current doctoral project expands this approach using functional imaging (fMRI) to examine how space and time are processed in the brain – together or separately – in order to gain a deeper understanding of subjective experience.
Group Members
Visiting Scientists
Last Modified: 31.07.2025