Professorship
for General
Psychology and
Neuropsychology
We investigate how the brain coordinates complex cognitive processes. To capture brain activity, we have set up an electroencephalography laboratory on campus equipped with EEG technology.
Our research focuses on areas such as social cognition and predictive coding, both of which can contribute to understanding and promoting sustainable behavior.
People
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Friedrich-Higgs
Head of the Professorship General Psychology and Neuropsychology
Elisabeth Friedrich-Higgs is professor for General Psychology and Neuropsychology and head of the Scientific Senate at the University of Sustainability in Vienna. Her research primarily focuses on understanding how brain networks interact to facilitate effective social cognition and how predictions shape our perception in social contexts.
Ece Kurnaz, M.Sc.
Scientific Employee
Ece Kurnaz contributes to research on electroencephalography (EEG) in social cognition and predictive coding at the University of Sustainability in Vienna. Her research interests include the neural mechanisms underlying social cognition, sensory processing, and individual differences in emotional face perception.
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Friedrich-Higgs
Head of the Professorship General Psychology and Neuropsychology
E-Mail: elisabeth.friedrich-higgs(at)uni-sustainability.at
Elisabeth Friedrich-Higgs earned her doctorate in brain-computer interface research at the University of Graz (Austria) and completed her postdoctoral studies at the University of California, San Diego (USA), focusing on neurofeedback with children on the autism spectrum. She later achieved her habilitation in social cognition at LMU Munich (Germany). Before accepting the professorship at the University of Sustainability in Vienna, she served as a Senior Researcher and Lecturer at the University of Zurich in Switzerland.
Her research methods include electroencephalography (EEG) and brain stimulation technologies.
In addition to her roles in research and teaching, she has also worked in the private sector in neuromarketing and gained experiences in clinical settings.
Selected publications
- TMS-induced inhibition of the left premotor cortex modulates illusory social perception. Peylo C, Sterner E, Zeng Y, EMPRA students, Friedrich EVC (2023). iScience 26, 1 – 17
- Seeing a Bayesian ghost: Sensorimotor activation leads to an illusory social perception. Friedrich EVC, Zillekens IC, Biel AL, O’Leary D, Seegenschmiedt EV, Singer J, Schilbach L, Sauseng P (2022). iScience 25, 1 – 16
- An effective neurofeedback intervention to improve social interactions in children with autism spectrum disorder. Friedrich EVC, Sivanathan A, Lim T, Suttie N, Louchart S, Pillen S, Pineda JA (2015). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 45, 4084 – 4100.
Research
In our teaching and research, we focus on a variety of topics in general psychology and neuropsychology. To record brain activity with electroencephalography (EEG), we have set up an EEG lab on campus.
Our main interest lies in understanding how the human brain coordinates complex cognitive processes, such as:
- Social cognition
- The interaction between working memory and mentalizing
- The impact of predictions on perception
- The role of these predictions in social interactions, emotional processing, and promoting sustainable behaviors
