Biologische Psychologie / Biological Psychology

 

The Department for Biological Psychology, headed by Assistant Professor Olga Klimecki, researches the biological foundations of psychological and social processes. The central research question is how well-being, health and social interactions can be influenced by various non-pharmacological interventions.

The studied interventions include mindfulness meditation, compassion meditation, health management, learning new languages, memory training and socio-emotional learning.

Current research questions in the Biological Psychology Laboratory are:

  • Can socio-emotional learning in schools promote the holistic well-being of young people (the Bio Happy Life study)?
  • Can mindfulness meditation or learning new languages promote the health and emotional well-being of older people (the Age-Well study of the Medit-Ageing project)?
  • Can the risk factors for dementia in older people be reduced in several European countries (the SCD-Well study of the Medit-Ageing project)?
  • Can healthy ageing be promoted through interventions that combine dance, movement, music and mindfulness (the REMINDer study)?
  • What measures can be taken to promote conflict resolution?

The methods used include, among others:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how the activity and connectivity of brain regions relate to other biological markers, psychological states and social interactions, and how this activity and connectivity can be changed through interventions,

  • Saliva samples for cortisol and alpha-amylase,
  • Blood samples for cortisol, serotonin, adrenalin, noradrenaline,
  • Psychophysiological measurements of heart rate and skin conductance.

Further information about the team and a detailed description of the main areas of research can be found on the website. 

Mitarbeiter:innen

Principal Investigator: 
Ass.-Prof. Dr. Olga Maria Klimecki-Lenz

Administration:
Irene Alessandri
Room: 4S13 (4. Stock)
Email: Irene.Alessandri@uibk.ac.at
Telephone: +43 (0) 512 507-56010

Julia Baumgartner
Room: 4S13 (4. Stock)
Email: Julia.Baumgartner@uibk.ac.at
Telephone: +43 (0) 512 507-56091

Student assistants:
Bechtum Lisa
Email: Lisa.Bechtum@uibk.ac.at

 

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