October 30, 2025 at 3:45pm
Title: Belief, Conspiracy Theories and Uncertainty from a Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective
Speaker: Martin Fungisai Gerchen (Biological Psychology - ZI Mannheim; invited By Vera Eymann)
Abstract: Belief is a genuine psychological construct defined by William James as “the psychological process or function of cognizing reality” which nature has been debated in psychology and philosophy for several centuries, and more recently also in cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience. In the talk, I will present results from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in which we applied the experimental procedure to present short statements from different domains to participants and let them rate their belief in the statements. While most effects appear to be general and are present over belief domains, we identified associations in the hippocampal formation that seem to be specific for the conspiracy theory domain. Further, our results emphasize a prominent role of uncertainty, or, more psychologically speaking, doubt, as a factor in human belief, which also appears to be connected to the levels of graded belief. Overall, our results add to the understanding of human belief by differentiating the involved subprocesses from a cognitive neuroscience perspective.
Location: RPTU - Campus Kaiserslautern, Building 57, Room 508
OR
Zoom Link: https://uni-kl-de.zoom-x.de/j/61441414848?pwd=yQR2uvJkI5YnSJCQxY8TQaucEz2qXP.1
November 6, 2025 at 3:45pm
Title: Solo and duet: Neural bases of music production
Speaker: Daniela Sammler (Neurocognition of Music und Language - MPI for Empirical Aesthetics Frankfurt; invited by Thomas Lachmann)
Abstract: Making music involves more than just striking the right keys of a piano or bowing the right strings of a violin. How does a musical idea turn into finger movements on the musical instrument? And how do musicians coordinate fingers, sounds, and multiple brains when they perform in groups? The present talk will explore behavioural and neural mechanisms of solo and duet performance in pianists using fMRI, fNIRS, and (dual) EEG. It will dissect the contribution of sensory and cognitive processes to motor control and interpersonal synchronization, reveal prefrontal gradients of musical action plans and their genre-dependency, and discuss mechanisms of prediction. Altogether, it will become clear that music production relies—beyond audio-motor loops—on a range of cognitive processes and neural networks tuned to coordinate brains, bodies, and performers.
Location: RPTU - Campus Kaiserslautern, Building 57, Room 508
OR
Zoom Link: https://uni-kl-de.zoom-x.de/j/61441414848?pwd=yQR2uvJkI5YnSJCQxY8TQaucEz2qXP.1
November 27, 2025 at 3:45pm
Title: Aging as a Subjective Process
Speaker: Fiona Rupprecht (Cognition and Developmental Lab RPTU - Landau; invited by Daniela Czernochowski)
Abstract: Aging cannot only be detected on the biological level, but is also perceived, evaluated, and acted upon subjectively. In particular, individuals often perceive aging in negative terms, focus on losses and struggle to see opportunities to take action and shape their own development. The talk will focus on our recently published framework on the interconnections between subjective and successful aging. That is, how subjective aging shapes (and is shaped) by health, physical and cognitive functioning, as well as continued engagement with life. Own research on the interconnections demonstrated in the framework will be showcased throughout.
Location: RPTU - Campus Kaiserslautern, Building 57, Room 508
OR
Zoom Link: uni-kl-de.zoom-x.de/j/61441414848
January 15, 2026 at 3:45pm
Speaker: Yana Fandakova (Department of Psychology - Learning Brain Lab, Trier University; invited by Daniela Czernochowski)
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Location: RPTU - Campus Kaiserslautern, Building 57, Room 508
OR
Zoom Link: uni-kl-de.zoom-x.de/j/61441414848
January 22, 2026 at 3:45pm
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Location: RPTU - Campus Kaiserslautern, Building 57, Room 508
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February 05, 2026 at 3:45pm
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Speaker: Carlos Velasco (Experimental Psychology - Norwegian Businnes School; invited by Thomas Lachmann)
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Location: RPTU - Campus Kaiserslautern, Building 57, Room 508
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Zoom Link: