An interdisciplinary investigation of the ultimate and proximate causes of empathy (PhD project)
Principal investigator(s):
- Jessie Adriaense, MSc
Supervisor(s):
- Univ.-Prof. Thomas Bugnyar
- Univ.-Prof. Claus Lamm
Involved fields: Psychology, Cognitive Biology
Description:
Jessie’s research focuses on empathy as the main topic of investigation and follows an interdisciplinary approach in which she combines studies in social neuroscience with studies in cognitive biology. The social neuroscience research is performed at the Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience unit (Faculty of Psychology) and under guidance of Prof. Claus Lamm. This research entails the topic of empathy for pain by means of electroencephalography (EEG). The cognitive biology research is performed at the Cognitive Biology department (Faculty of Life Sciences) under guidance of Prof. Thomas Bugnyar, and covers emotional contagion in common ravens (Corvus corax) by means of a multimethod approach. As these studies each hold a different perspective to analyze and study empathy, Jessie’s PhD aims to result in an integrative understanding of the main topic.
