Group Laboratory

Head: Dr. Bastian Schiller

Our group laboratory includes 16 linked computer terminals that can be used for the study of group behavior, including social decision making and social interaction processes. The flexible locations also allow researchers to run parallel individual experiments. Close contact with other laboratory areas within our group also allows researchers to combine experiments on group behavior with methods of stress induction and measurement, pharmacological and behavioral genetic methods, as well as psychophysiological and imaging techniques.

Ongoing research projects include the investigation of prosocial and antisocial behavior, social awareness, and the relationships between social performance, different hormone systems along with their genetic bases (in particular, oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone, and cortisol), and stress. These and other questions are studied in parallel with outpatient treatment for stress-related disorders characterized by social deficits (e.g., social anxiety disorder and borderline personality disorder).