Research

BilMath – Bilinguales Mathematiklernen

Section: Talent and Learning Research 

Project Information:

• Funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF, International Project No. I 6134)
• Duration: 01.03.2023 - 28.02.2026

Project Team Graz:

• Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr.rer.nat. Roland Grabner
• Kevin Baumschlager, MSc.
• Cornelia Pachner, BSc

Project Team of the Collaboration Partners:

Project Team Leipzig (University of Leipzig, Germany):

• Prof. Dr. Henrik Saalbach
• Moritz Wußing

Short description of the project:

In our daily lives, we frequently encounter situations involving different languages, whether at work, university, or during free time. One example is CLIL (Content-and-Language-Integrated Learning), which is getting more common in schools and degree programs. CLIL involves teaching subjects like mathematics in a foreign language. However, this method comes with Language Switching Costs—cognitive costs that arise when the language for acquiring and retrieving information differs. Our project aims to investigate these Language Switching Costs in the context of arithmetic learning: how they manifest, when they occur, what influences them, and whether they are temporarily stable.

Modeling user behavior in digital media platforms

Section: Neuropsychology 

Project Information:

• Funded by BUND – Unkonventionelle Forschung
• Duration: 01 July 2021 – 30 June 2024

Project Team Graz:

• Univ.-Prof. Guilherme M. de O. Wood
• Univ.-Prof. Thomas Schmickl
• Herald Cela

Short description of the project:

This project is focused on creating computer models to study user behavior on digital media, particularly swiping apps. The primary interest lies in detecting potential risks inherent in these environments, by evaluating the emotional impact of negative experiences and its long-term impact on wellbeing. This will involve gathering data from both simulated scenarios with artificial agents and user interactions on digital media. Analyzing user behavior will reveal emerging patterns and help understand how individual interactions shape community-level outcomes. Ultimately, the project aims to provide insights into mitigating potential harms of digital media while enhancing its benefits for social good.

Eco gaming: identifying climate-change engagement promoting human-media interactions using community trace data

Section: Digital Psychology Lab/Neuropsychology 

Project Information:

• Colibri
• Duration: 4 years

Project Team Graz:

• Supervisor: Ass.-Prof. Dr. Manuel Ninaus
• Co-Supervisor: Dr. Marie Kogler

Short description of the project:

The purpose of this project is split into two parts. The main idea of the first stage of this project is to analyze reviews on the gaming platform Steam to identify video games in which climate-change related topics are discussed and which may exhibit an educational potential. To parse this large corpus of publicly available text, different natural language processing techniques will be used. Then in the second stage, after preselecting promising games we want to take the identified games to the laboratory to investigate the effects of playing those games on climate-change related attitudes in a controlled, experimental setting.

Empowering Girls in STEM Fields: STEM support cannot begin too early!

Children built up their knowledge, interests and attitudes to science in the early childhood. Therefore, they need an environment that supports this. Our research shows that Austrian children under ten have a different understanding what science is as children in the USA. However, developing an early understanding and positive attitude towards science and its relevance to everyday life could be crucial for children's educational and professional careers.

By conducting our research, we can formulate strategies to enhance children's comprehension of science.

Project Information:

Duration: ongoing since November 2021

Project Team:

• Univ.-Prof.in Dipl.-Psych.in Dr.in phil. Paechter, Manuela (University of Graz)
• ^ILin HS-Prof^.in Mag^.a Dr^.in Luttenberger, Silke BEd. (University College of Teacher Education Styria)
• Hasenhütl, Sabine BSc., MSc. (University of Graz)

Orthographic knowledge in bilingual children

Section: Developmental Psychology

Project Information:
• Funding: Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung; Innovationsstiftung für Bildung
• Duration: February 2024 – February 2027

Project Team Graz:
• Univ.-Prof. Dr. Karin Landerl
• Dr. Ferenc Kemény

Project Team of the Collaboration Partners:

Pädagogische Hochschule Steiermark:
• HS-Prof. Mag. Dr. Konstanze Edtstadler
• Prof. Dr. Anna Steiner

Short description of the project:

We investigate how the implicit knowledge of letter patterns and regularities in a writing system is organized (orthographic knowledge). How does it contribute to reading development? And what happens when children learn different orthographies at the same time? We examine how monolingual and bilingual children process different letter patterns. Orthographic knowledge in different languages might cause interference if it is stored in the same domain. The absence of interference could suggest a separate organization of orthographic knowledge. Through a better understanding of bilingual orthographic knowledge, we aim to provide evidence for implementation in teaching and education.

Project website: lesedi.uni-graz.at

Neural substrates of pragmatics in political discourse

Section: Neuropsychology and Neuroimaging

Project Information:
• Funded by the field of excellence COLIBRI (Complexity of Life in Basic Research and Innovation)
• Duration: 4 years

Project Team Graz:
• Priv.-Doz. Dr. Silvia Erika Kober

• Manuel Hons

• Univ.-Prof. Dr. Edgar Onea Gáspár
 

Short description of the project:

In my PhD project we’re trying to identify the neural markers of pragmatics in political discourse. Pragmatics, i.e., context dependent speech, and violations thereof, have been shown to elicit a characteristic short-term brain response pattern. We intend to prove the existence of this pattern in the political domain. We tackle this challenge by using a combination of neuroscientific and machine learning methods.

Understanding the interrelations between affective and cognitive components of learning processes in digital environments

Section: Neuropsychology & Neuroimaging / Digital Psychology Lab

Project Information:
• Internally funded project
• Duration: January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2026

Project Team Graz:
• Ass.-Prof. Dr. Manuel Ninaus
• Stefan E. Huber

Project Team Tampere (Tampere University, Finland):
• Prof. Kristian Kiili
• Antero Lindstedt

Short description of the project:

Understanding the interrelations between affective and cognitive processes during learning is a current challenge in educational research. This project aims to explore how these processes interact with each other and impact learning in digital game-based learning environments. The project seeks to capture the dynamic changes in affective states and their connection to the learning process by analyzing behavioral and physiological data (like heart rate or electrodermal activity) in addition to traditional measures such as questionnaires and performance outcomes. Investigating these processes shall form the basis for a better understanding and eventually optimizing learning and the environments in which it occurs.

Complexity in team sports

Section: Neuropsychology & Neuroimaging

Project Information:

• Funded by Colibri
• Duration: 3.5 years until 25 March 2025

Project Team Graz:

• Thomas Kanatschnig
• Silvia Erika Kober
• Markus Tilp
• Norbert Schrapf

Short description of the project:

For the work on my Ph.D. project, in which I am studying expertise in sports on a neurophysiological level, I am applying multiple different measurement methods, such as electroencephalography, functional near-infrared spectroscopy and eye-tracking. I am interested in the complex neural underpinnings of expert behavior in sports, for which I am immensely grateful to be supervised by experts in the fields of neuroimaging and sports. My current focus lies on the implementation of brain-computer interface aided training interventions for the improvement of tactical sports performance.

Dance & Brain

Section: Biological Psychology

Project Information:

• Funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF, Project number P37200)
• Duration: 2024 – 2026 

Project Team Graz:

• Prof. Andreas Fink
• Sandria Stornig, M.Sc.
• Anna Kannonier, M.Sc.

Short description of the project:

This interdisciplinary project involving psychology, neuroscience and sports sciences, explores the effects of dancing on both functional and structural characteristics of the brain and on related facets of physical and mental health. Dancing requires a plethora of cognitive functions and the integration of many different sources of information, such as body and movement coordination, spatial navigation and perception, rhythm and memory. Specifically, dancing has been found to be beneficial for certain neurological disorders and mild cognitive impairment. Our aim is to gain fundamental insights into how regular dance training affects the overall physical and mental health in the general population.

Mechanisms of open-label placebos for the reduction of emotional distress

Section: Clinical psychology

Project Information:

• Mixed funding: Internal funds and Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
• Duration: ongoing since April 2022

Project Team Graz:

• Univ.-Prof.ⁱⁿ Dr.ⁱⁿ Anne Schiene
• Dr. Albert Wabnegger
• Wolfgang Kogler, MSc

Short description of the project:

Honestly administered placebos, also known as non-deceptive or open-label placebos (OLPs), have demonstrated efficacy in alleviating symptoms across various clinical conditions. Furthermore, OLPs have been found to reduce emotional distress in healthy individuals. The present dissertation project aims to deepen the understanding of OLP mechanisms in reducing emotional distress by investigating neurophysiological correlates (fMRI) of OLPs. Moreover, it will investigate the practical application of OLPs in psychological treatments and explore ways to optimize the treatment rationale to enhance their perceived plausibility and effectiveness.

Advancement of Divergent Thinking Assessment (ADTA)

Divergent thinking (DT) tests represent the dominant approach in the assessment of individual differences in the human creative cognitive potential. These DT tests (for example, find creative uses for everyday objects) do not have single correct solutions but rather many possible solutions that may differ in their creative quality (e.g., novelty, effectiveness). DT test have been used for more than 50 years, but there are still varied approaches on how to implement and score them, as well as persistent concerns regarding their psychometric quality. Therefore, this project will realize a systematic investigation of the optimal test conditions of these standard measures of creativity research. To this end, we will 1) review the variety and validity evidence of available methods, 2) study specific promising advancements in more detail, and 3) directly compare novel and established methods. In sum, this will allow us to derive evidence-based recommendations for more valid DT assessments, aiming to support a more consistent and effective creativity research.

Project Information:
- Funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF, Project no.: P 35661, Grant DOI: 10.55776/P35661)
- Duration: September 15, 2022 - September 14, 2026

Project Team Graz:
- Assoc.-Prof. Mathias Benedek
- Janika Saretzki

Collaboration Partners:
- Dr. Boris Forthmann, Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Germany
- Dr. Baptiste Barbot, Psychological and Educational Sciences Research Institute, UCLouvain, Belgium; Child Study Center, Yale University, United States

Trust Me: Trust in humanoid robots in the work context

Technological advances have led to robots becoming autonomous agents that can work alongside humans, resulting in an increased human-robot collaboration rather than working side-by-side in the workplace. Successful collaboration between humans and robots depends on various factors, including not only the traditional aspects of human-machine interaction, such as the ability of a machine to properly perform a task, but also aspects of successful teamwork between humans. A key factor that influences the effectiveness of collaboration within teams is mutual trust. However, in teams comprising both humans and machines, the traditional interpersonal concept of trust must be modified and broadened in order to investigate its effects. Using theoretical approaches, this project examines whether it is appropriate to apply the concept of trust to human-robot interactions, and how trust needs to be defined for this purpose. Additionally, empirical experiments are conducted to investigate whether and under what conditions humans trust and successfully cooperate with robots.

Project Information:

• Funded by Field of Excellence Smart Regulation at the University of Graz
• Duration: 11/2019 - 11/2023

Project Team Graz:

• Prof. MMag. Dr. Bettina Kubicek
• Prof. DDr. Reinhold Esterbauer
• Arndt Schäfer, M.Sc.

Neurocognitive mechanisms of metacognition in arithmetic

Section: Educational neuroscience 

Project Information:

• Funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF, I 6354-G) and the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO)
• Duration: August 31, 2023 – August 30, 2027

Project Team Graz:

• Assoz. Prof. Mag.rer.nat. PhD Stephan Vogel
• Shiva Taghizadeh
• Amelie Weikl (project assistant)

Project Team of the Collaboration Partners:

Project Team Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium):

• Prof. Dr. Bert De Smedt
• Dr. Elien Bellon
• Eveline Jacobs

Short description of the project:

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to be better at math? To answer this question, we need to examine the factors that influence this ability and understand how the brain works when doing calculations. One of these central factors is metacognition: the ability to monitor mental operations (e.g. knowing that I have made a mistake) and adjust them accordingly (e.g. changing strategies). In this project, we will use a combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal experiments and imaging techniques (EEG) to investigate the mental and brain processes associated with metacognitive regulation and computation in children and adults. The findings from this work will help us improve teaching materials and learning methods to help all people perform better in math.

Automatic generation of time management items – An enhanced approach to assessing planning

Section: Psychological Assessment and Quantitative Methods 

Project Information:

• Internally funded project
• Duration: ongoing since November 2022

Project Team Graz:

• Univ.-Prof. Dr. Martin Arendasy
• Hanna Weber

Short description of the project:

This dissertation aims to develop an automatic approach to generating planning test items. More specifically, the skill in question is a special case of planning: Time management. These test items can be categorized as performance test items and should help to more objectively assess this multi-faceted construct. The goal of the project is to validate the automatic item generator through a representative sample and create norm values for future use.