To research this subject area, the Research Group combined methods of experimental psychology with those of the cognitive neurosciences.
The sex-aggression link
Earlier research has shown that there is a link between sexual perceptual content and aggressive behaviour in male study participants: The presentation of sexual perceptual content leads to an increased tendency of showing aggressive behaviour. The Research Group examined this link with the methods of the cognitive neurosciences. To that end, an experimental paradigm was developed in 2004. This paradigm was pre-tested several times and refined. The first EEG examinations were performed.
FMRI examination concerning the comparison network
Processes of comparison play a central role in human judgement and behaviour. They constitute a possble link between perception and behaviour. The Research Group analysed the role of comparison processes in phenomena of automatic behaviour. In a first step, it was determined whether comparisons of social content activate the same brain structures as comparisons of non-social content. An experimental paradigm for the examination of this possibility using the method of functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) was developed and pre-tested. The first test surveys were performed at the Brain Imaging Center in Frankfurt.