PPF - Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Psychologie

Adaptive behavior is contingent upon the ability to identify errors in one’s own
behavior. This is achieved through an error monitoring system that registers errors and
initiates adjustments to prevent further errors (Gehring et al., 2011; Ullsperger et al.,
2014). Error awareness, the ability to become consciously aware of errors (Wessel et
al., 2011), is thought to result from an evidence accumulation process (Steinhauser &
Yeung, 2010). This process involves the accumulation of evidence in favor of an error,
which leads to awareness once the evidence exceeds a criterion. Two event-related
potentials (ERPs), the error negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe), typically follow
a behavioral error and are strongly linked to the early and late stages of error
monitoring, respectively. The ERN itself may provide cognitive and sensory sources of
evidence for an error and contribute to the evidence accumulation process. The Pe, as
a correlate of error awareness (Steinhauser & Yeung, 2010) and confidence about
whether a response was an error (Boldt & Yeung, 2015), provides insight into the
emergence of error awareness. The target-masking paradigm (Di Gregorio et al., 2018)
elicits errors that only evoke a Pe but no ERN, thus allowing for the investigation of
sources of error evidence besides the ERN. The aim of this research is to investigate
further possible sources of error evidence driving error awareness, specifically
metacognitive cues, such as knowledge about error likelihood, stimulus context and
action effects. Furthermore, this research will address whether the ERN is a
prerequisite for autonomous reactions to errors, such as error-related heart rate
changes and pupil dilation responses, in order to determine their contribution to the
Pe.

PPF - Professur für Sozial- und Organisationspsychologie

Current research in the area of algorithmic decision-making (ADM) versus human decision-
making (HDM) has yielded inconsistent results regarding individual perceptions and
behavioural responses. Some studies report ADM to be seen as less fair and trustworthy,
whereas other studies find opposing results or no significant disparities. This inconsistency can
be attributed, in part, to algorithmic biases and contextual factors. Algorithmic bias, often
defined as a systematic deviation in algorithmic outputs on an individual or group level
(distributive and procedural fairness biases; Kordzadeh & Ghasemaghaei, 2021) impacts
fairness perceptions, trust, and behavioural reactions (acceptance and adoption of decisions).
Contextual factors, such as individual, task, technology, organizational, and environmental
characteristics, further contribute to differing perceptions and responses. Researching these
influences on human perceptions and reactions is relevant in regard to the design of AI-based
technical systems and their interaction with human users.
Addressing this research gap, the doctoral project aims to expand on a theoretical model
proposed by Kordzadeh and Ghasemaghaei (2021; integration of the Stimulus-Organism-
Response, SOR framework, and the Contextual Factors Framework, CFF) by examining the
influences of fairness biases and contextual factors (social norms) in a comparative ADM
versus HDM setting. Specifically, I will assess the impact of decision-making mode (ADM vs.
HDM) and fairness biases on individual perceptions (fairness, trust) and behavioural
responses (acceptance, adoption of decisions). In my doctoral project, I will, first, assess the
influence of decision-making mode on individual perception and behavioural responses in
three different decision scenarios (e.g., societal scenario – kindergarten spot allocation,
environmental scenario – resource allocation) in the context of distributive biases on an
individual and group level. Second, I will focus on procedural biases instead of distributive
biases. Third, I will integrate my findings and investigate the influence of social descriptive
norms, that is, organizational characteristics, on the previously observed relationships. By
addressing these questions, the doctoral project seeks to establish a more holistic
understanding of the factors influencing the acceptance and adoption of ADM versus HDM.
These findings can then inform the design of corresponding AI-based decision systems to
support a positive perception and intended behavioural responses to the respective AI-based
decision system.

PPF - Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Psychologie

Working Memory (WM) is conceived as a system for short-term maintenance, updating and manipulation of representations required for goal-directed action. WM has a strict capacity limitation which in turn requires that information held in WM can be flexibly adapted to changing demands. This dissertation project investigates how this is achieved via adaptive control mechanisms. So far, adaptive control has been widely described for flexible adjustments of selective attention in face of conflict provoking visual stimuli. Whenever the brain detects a high level of cognitive conflict, attentional control is strengthened. This leads to fluctuations in selective attention depending on current demands. Conflict in WM retrieval arises when several items stored in WM compete for retrieval. To solve such an interference, the strength of control needs to be adapted and the precision of WM content needs to be increased. The goal of this project is to validate whether WM representations can be dynamically adapted based on the level of experienced conflict. In three different studies, we will consider behavioral and electrophysiological data to investigate whether the same conflict adaptation processes are elicited when several items compete for WM retrieval as described for selective attention.

PPF - Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Psychologie

The “chemobrain” phenomenon is an acquired cognitive dysfunction, which can often be observed in the context of oncological diseases along with their typical treatment measures. For example, there is also an impairment of executive control, with cancer patients showing impaired error processing in an earlier study (Simó, Gurtubay-Antolin, Vaquero, Bruna & Rodríguez-Fornells, 2018) with regard to a typical neurophysiological correlate – the error related negativity (ERN/Ne). In general, long-term courses of the “chemobrain” are known from the literature, for example with regard to testpsychological findings (Koppelmans et al., 2012) or – neurophysiological – based on the P300 (Kreukels et al., 2006; Kreukels et al. 2008). However, to the best of our knowledge it has not been investigated yet, to what extent the same also applies to the ERN and thus error processing. So, the planned study therefore aims to clarify the question, to what extent the attenuated ERN-effect postchemo can still be demonstrated among EEG-data years after cancer treatment. As part of an experiment, remitted breast cancer patients are to be examined – a group of patients often suffering from chemobrain. The clarification of this question would be an important contribution to the understanding of cognitive long-term consequences of oncological diseases as well as their treatments.

PPF - Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Psychologie

Noise is one of the most frequently reported stress factors in the teaching profession. There are many different sources of noise in schools and noise seems to be omnipresent. Students, technical systems and devices, or ambient sounds are likely to generate disturbing noises during class. Poor room acoustics promote the development and spread of disturbing noises. Persistent noise exposure impairs the physical and psychological well-being and thus the cognitive performance of school staff. A basic aim of the dissertation is the comparison between physical stimulus and subjective judgment. The question of how sound events in classroom situations are related to teachers' perceptions of loudness and annoyance is decisive. The underlying study does not solely focus on noise effects that may cause potential hearing impairment. Rather, the effects of noise on psychological well-being in general and on teachers' cognitive performance in particular are of interest. In this context the study intends to examine to what extent school noise is affecting the stress experience of teachers and how disposition (e.g., noise sensitivity) and situation (e.g., workload) influences their noise perception and noise-related coping. To examine the extra-aural noise effects on teachers, acoustic parameters (sound pressure level, reverberation time) in schools are evaluated and the effectiveness of noise prevention measures is examined. Furthermore, teachers are interviewed to record their subjective noise experience. Previous psychophysical noise research in schools focuses primarily on the noise experience and learning success of pupils. Based on the findings, school-specific noise prevention measures and recommendations can be derived. These are intended to have a positive effect on the noise situation at schools and to sustainably reduce the stress experienced by teachers due to noise.

PPF - Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Psychologie

In daily life, we perform multiple actions simultaneously all the time. In such scenarios, the capability not only to distinguish single subtasks as correct or erroneous, but also to trace back the source of an error within multiple, potentially simultaneous subtasks, is essential. If this process fails, a credit assignment error occurs, meaning that an error is attributed to the wrong subtask. Research on dual-tasking suggests that error monitoring processes within such scenarios can be divided into a subtask level and a superordinate level that considers the whole dual-task. I hypothesize that error monitoring needs to take into account both theses monitoring levels to achieve the goal of correctly attributing the erroneous task within a dual-task setting. In a series of studies, including behavioural experiments as well as experiments focusing on error-related EEG activity, I aim to investigate possible similarities and differences between these levels of error monitoring. Therefore, I focus on credit assignment errors, establishing them as an empirical phenomenon as well as finding potential variables influencing their occurrence. Taking the step from mostly single-task oriented error monitoring research to these dual-task settings provides the opportunity to develop novel theories, such as that of hierarchical levels of error monitoring.

LST für Allgemeine Psychologie

Human actions usually serve the purpose of achieving certain goals. In order to facilitate this, every human being has a cognitive action monitoring system that continuously checks behaviors with regard to their appropriateness and also corrects them if necessary. At the neural level, the so-called Error Related Negativity (ERN; Gehring et al., 1993) can be measured, which reflects the processing of errors and can be used to investigate their cognitive processing in more detail. Several theories regarding the ERN posit a motor component of actions for the emergence of the ERN. In fact, studies on task errors have so far focused purely on response conflicts in motor responses (e.g., key press, speech response, eye movements). In contrast, there have been no findings so far on response conflicts in non-motor responses, i.e., between response options that are only formed as a thought. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate whether errors and response conflicts in non-motor actions are subject to the same cognitive processes as in motor actions. By considering errors and the ERN as their neural correlate, we will first investigate whether errors in non-motor actions are monitored and processed in the same way as in motor actions. To this end, three studies will be conducted, each dealing with a different classical paradigm that induce errors in a different way.

PPF - Lehrstuhl für klinische und biologische Psychologie

Fear and grief are fundamental and natural human reactions to material or immaterial loss. Mostly the loss of a loved person or the loss of home is meant here. The term Ecological Grief describes the grief over an ecological loss. This includes the loss of species, ecosystems and valued places and landscapes, which are caused by acute (e. g. extreme weather events such as floods, etc.) or chronic (e. g. retreat of glaciers, loss of biodiversity, etc.) environmental changes, as we are currently perceiving more and more frequent and intense in nature and media. According to Cunsolo and Ellis (2018), people who are identified with their environment, who work in nature or are culturally closely connected with it, especially mourn ecological losses. To date, however, little research has considered reaction components and possible effects on mental health. In addition, relations with possible change in attitudes and behavior towards environmentally friendly behavior are largely unknown. The aim of this study is therefore to identify emotional reactions components which can be caused by ecological losses and to determine the correlation with wellbeing and possible behavioral changes. Semi-structured interviews with people, who have a high probability of being affected by at least one ecological loss, are carried out and analyzed. Based on these interviews, items for a questionnaire on ecological grief are to be developed in the near future.

MGF - Lehrstuhl für Physische Geographie

The PhD project is linked to a position as a research assistant in the DFG project SEHAG (Sensitivity of High Alpine Geosystems to climate change since c. 1850), sub-project 8. The main tasks are as follows:  Analysis of the system structure (structural connectivity) in the study areas of the SEHAG project (Kaunertal, Horlachtal, Martelltal) using geomorphological mapping, digital relief analysis and graph theory. Analysis of functional connectivity (sediment transfer) using measured and modelled surface/reservoir changes and sediment fluxes determined from these. Calibration of the Caesar Lisflood landscape evolution model using measured and modelled data from the past. Based on this, modelling of the influence of climate change on sediment dynamics until 2050. Investigation of the relationship between connectivity and sensitivity of (sub-) catchment areas with regard to climate change-induced changes and their propagation in the study areas.

MGF - Professur für Physische Geographie/ Landschaftsökologie und nachhaltige Ökosystementwicklung

It is often documented in literature that apparently vital and healthy trees can show substantial symptoms of ash dieback in the following year. If only optical indicators are applied, an adequate selection of trees with outstanding properties (so called plus-trees) is not guaranteed. Genetic markers were only tested in some European regions and it was shown that regional differences in the applicability of these markers to predict resistance are very important. Since a costly and labor-intensive genetic assessment is not suitable for an extensive and nationwide monitoring, other indicators which can be used to assess the susceptibility of common ash to ash dieback are needed. The aim of this project FraxMon is to investigate which plant characteristics (e.g., phenological traits, chlorophyll, sex, pollen viability) of ash can be used as lead indicator for the physiological evaluation of the vitality and susceptibility in the frame of a nationwide monitoring. In addition, the abundance of the fungus is assessed and spore concentrations are estimated in order to monitor the infection pressure and to investigate the temporal coupling between the occurrence of spores and the phenological phase of the host.

MGF - Lehrstuhl für Physische Geographie

The PhD project will take place within the framework of an employment as a research assistant in the DFG project SEHAG (SEnsitivity of High Alpine Geosystems to climate change since 1850), sub-project SP8. The planned PhD project focuses on the so far unanswered question how sediment transport dynamics and thus sediment input into reservoirs change under climate change conditions. This question will be investigated in the study areas of the SEHAG project (Kaunertal and Horlachtal in Austria, Martelltal in South Tyrol). In the study areas, measurements of suspended sediment transport will be used to determine the subglacial sediment contribution and the contribution from slope erosion. Different runoff situations are considered, which include snow and glacier melt as weil as rain events of high intensity and duration. In a further step, the measured data are used to calibrate the landscape evolution model CAESAR Lisflood.

MGF - Professur für Angewandte Physische Geographie

The mountain regions of Central Asia are part of the global biodiversity hotspots and thus part of the biologically richest and at the same time most threatened terrestrial ecosystems on earth. The ecosystem of the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan is still in an almost natural state on a length of about 600 km and thus represents a peculiarity in this dimension. At the same time, these ecosystems are threatened by planned hydropower plants and no studies have yet been carried out on the riparian forest habitats with their structure and dynamics. Satellite data are of particular interest for a large-scale inventory and permanent monitoring of habitats. Satellite data from the Landsat and Copernicus missions are particularly suitable because, among other things, they are freely and almost globally available, record data at regular intervals and make identical, objective measurements. Due to their temporal and spatial resolution, the Sentinel-2 data of the Copernicus mission hold great potential for the investigation of habitats and their dynamics. The thesis closes existing research gaps at the Naryn river and provides up-to-date and detailed habitat maps for decision support in environmental management. In addition, the thesis also makes a general contribution to the further development of the monitoring of habitats along with their dynamics using satellite data.

MGF - Professur für Angewandte Physische Geographie

River-floodplain ecosystems contribute substantially to human well-being. The various fields in which
humans can profit from these ecosystems cover for instance recreational value, retention of carbon,
nitrate and phosphate, water level-, and temperature management. These ecosystem services, or ESS for
short, are quantifiable in order to provide decision makers, such as authorities, agencies, and local
NGOs, with a data basis for renaturation projects. Although there have already been several projects
(RESI, IDES) at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt on ecosystem services on the Danube
and its tributaries, a scientific examination of rivers outside of Europe using the aforementioned research
approaches has not been done yet. The calculation of ESS can be carried out in different ways, but the
research focus of the majority of projects is currently still on the calculation of individual ESS, without
focusing on trade-offs and positive interactions.
The PhD project includes the calculation of several ESS of rivers in China, Uganda, and Chile relying
exclusively on freely available data while illustrating the emerging challenges. In order to have more
accurate results using the established approaches, floodplain maps will be generated that are subdivided
into active floodplains and former floodplains. Furthermore, the improvement of the existing methods
through an open-source-based solution may prove to be helpful for the calculation of future ESS at other
study sites.

MGF - Lehrstuhl für Physische Geographie

The PhD project investigates the impacts of recent climate change on
geomorphodynamics in the Northern Calcareous Alps, with particular emphasis on
changes in temperature and precipitation regimes as key climatic controls. It aims
to determine how high-alpine geosystems in carbonate mountain environments have
responded to changing climatic forcing since the end of the Little Ice Age and which
specific morphodynamic adjustment processes have emerged as a result.
The main tasks are as follows:
• Quantification of the spatio-temporal development of
geomorphodynamics in the Northern Calcareous Alps since the end of
the Little Ice Age (c. 1850).
• Analysis of periglacial and gravitational processes, particularly debris
flows, rockfall, larger rock-slope failures, and changes in channel
dynamics, including the investigation of their magnitude-frequency
relationships under changing climatic conditions.
• Comparative assessment of process rates and morphological response
patterns in carbonate catchments of the Northern Calcareous Alps and
silicate study areas of the Central Alps in order to identify differences
in coupling, sediment connectivity, and functional system response.
• Multi-method assessment of geomorphodynamics using airborne and
terrestrial laser scanning, UAV-based Structure-from-Motion
photogrammetry, historical image analysis, geomorphological mapping
and event-based field methods.

MGF - Lehrstuhl für Physische Geographie

Mediterranean badlands are among the most dynamic geomorphological environments, shaped by the long-term interaction between natural processes and human activities. Their rapid morphodynamics make them particularly sensitive to land cover changes and climate variability, positioning them as natural laboratories for investigating the impacts of global change on landscape evolution. In recent decades, many Mediterranean badland areas have experienced significant transformations, including land abandonment, vegetation recolonization, and changing erosion patterns, with important implications for sediment dynamics, flood hazard, and the preservation of cultural landscapes.
This PhD research focuses on the quantitative geomorphological analysis of the multitemporal evolution of Mediterranean badlands, with the overarching goal of understanding how land cover change influences recent erosion morphodynamics across different spatial and temporal scales. The study integrates long-term basin-scale observations with short-term, high-resolution hillslope-scale analyses, combining remote sensing, photogrammetric techniques, and geomorphological modelling.
The first objective addresses long-term badland morphodynamics over the past 40 years at the catchment scale, using satellite imagery to investigate vegetation dynamics as a proxy for landscape stabilization or degradation. Multi-decadal satellite datasets allow the assessment of trends in vegetation cover, land use changes, and their relationship with climatic variability in a representative sub-humid Mediterranean area of central Italy. This approach enables the identification of key drivers controlling badland evolution at broad spatial scales.
The second objective focuses on short-term morphodynamic processes over the last decade at the hillslope scale. High-resolution data derived from UAV-based digital photogrammetry are used to quantify erosion rates, detect surface changes, and identify dominant geomorphic processes. This fine-scale analysis captures the spatial heterogeneity of erosion and deposition patterns and provides insights into the role of extreme events and vegetation dynamics in shaping badland surfaces.
The third objective aims to model sediment dynamics and erosion processes, integrating multi-temporal topographic data and vegetation information to assess sediment connectivity and erosion pathways. By linking structural and functional connectivity, the research seeks to improve the understanding of sediment transfer mechanisms in evolving badland landscapes.
Overall, this PhD project contributes to advancing knowledge on the multiscale response of Mediterranean badlands to land cover change and global environmental drivers, providing insights relevant for geomorphological theory, landscape management, and risk mitigation in fragile Mediterranean environments.

MGF -  Professur für Physische Geographie/Landschaftsökologie u. nachhaltige Ökosystementwicklung

In the course of climate change, numerous factors are changing that could promote the
development of allergies and could lead to more severe allergic diseases. At the same time,
more and more people are living in cities and it is therefore necessary to intensify basic research
on aerobiological processes in urban areas. There are usually two approaches to describe the
intensity of the pollen season: the measurement of pollen concentration of a specific species
during the flowering period, or the determination of pollen production, in which the analysis of
closed flowers can provide information on the expected pollen flight intensity. However, airborne
pollen concentrations are controlled by aerobiological processes such as emission, dispersion,
transport and deposition, which are subject to the influence of atmospheric dynamics. Seasonal
totals of daily pollen concentrations can therefore deviate substantially from the expected
effective pollen production and release. It is therefore essential to focus on all relevant
aerobiological processes involved.
In this study, we will quantify the pollen content of flowers of selected birch trees in the city of
Ingolstadt during the pollen season in order to determine daily emission values and relate them
to meteorology and measured pollen concentration. A regionalization of the collected data, e.g.
phenology, pollen production and pollen emission, is realized by statistical relationships to
influencing variables such as temperature or projections based on allometric data and existing
land registers. This provides extensive information that can be used as input for pollen transport
models. The three-dimensional urban climate model ENVImet is used to simulate the birch
pollen concentration for the whole city of Ingolstadt for different periods of the pollen season.
Using a comprehensive aerobiological measurement network, the simulated pollen
concentrations can be compared with measured values. The simultaneous consideration of
pollutant data and thermal stress values (PET; determined by ENVImet) enables a more
comprehensive risk assessment for allergy sufferers. Spatial information on the pollutants
NO2/NOx and O3 is derived using land use regression models. A combined index for risk
assessment, which is validated with symptom data, has the advantage of describing the health
hazards of the urban population more comprehensively.
Important impulses and strategies for the selection of suitable adaptation measures, which are
even more urgently needed in the course of climate change, will result from this project and the
knowledge gained with it.

SLF - Lehrstuhl für Englische Sprachwissenschaft

This PhD project looks at one specific structural alternation in English, namely preposition placement in filler‐gap constructions (cf. e.g. Hoffmann 2011; Pullum & Huddleston 2002; Ross 1986; van den Eynden 1996). Combining Usage-based Construction Grammar and New Englishes approaches, the project investigates the competition between preposition stranding (1) and preposition pied-piping (2) in syntactic environments that allow for both options:

1. English is a language which I want to know more about.
2. English is a language about which I want to know more.

Drawing on both corpus data from the International Corpus of English project (cf. Nelson et al. 2002) and Magnitude Estimation acceptability experiments, the study will take the results of multifactorial statistical analyses as an indicator for the mental entrenchment of meso- and macro-constructions for the two structural alternatives in different varieties of English. This approach will reveal to what degree the constructional competition of preposition stranding and pied-piping correlates with the evolutionary stage of a New English variety and how much the available preposition placement constructions in postcolonial Englishes are shaped by L1 transfer features. The project will thus generate important insights into the storage of competing structures in the linguistic knowledge of speakers and into the processing effects as well as the qualitative and quantitative constructional changes that characterize the evolution of New Englishes.