Research at the Division of Psychology

Individual differences in cognition – What sex differences are there in cognitive abilities and how can they be explained? Is the risk of dementia influenced by the cogntive ability in childhood?

Emotion and social learning – How are fears acquired, modified, and transmitted between people? What brain mechanisms are involved and how do we optimize our decisions in a potentially dangerous environment?

The research group conducts research on Working hours, Recovery and Safety in working life.

How do we understand the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of other people? What mechanisms in the brain underlie this ability? How do these processes function in autistic individuals?

Clinical Psychology: Etiology, prevention, and treatment of eating disorders – What factors contribute to eating disorders, and which are the most effective strategies for preventing eating disorders, anxiety and depression?

Psychological treatment: exposure and internet – Can people with abdominal pain or self-harming people learn coping strategies for this? Can they get help through internet administered cognitive behavioral therapy?

Cognitive epidemiology – What causal relationships are there between cognitive and emotional skills in relation to health and social status? How are these skills relating to social mobility?

Treatment of anxiety and functional disorders – What is health anxiety and hur can it an effective way be treated by exposure therapy? What are the active mechanisms surrounding treatment of anxiety?

The group investigates the perceptual experiences associated with eating.

Integration of the senses – How does the human brain perceive, process and interpret sensory input originating from several different senses, and what mechanisms are involved in this process?

Sleep, cognition and health – How are we affected by disturbed sleep and stress when it comes to for example cognitive abilities and health? How does the immune system affect our experiences? Does beauty sleep exist?

Cognitive processes and ADHD – How do different cognitive and emotional factors contribute to the development of ADHD during childhood? What treatments are effective for children with ADHD?

What role do the brain and behavior play in the defense against infectious agents? How can health behaviors and psychological treatment affect subjective and objective health?

Human olfaction – How are different odorants processed perceptually, cognitively, and emotionally? What can we discern solely with the help of our sense of smell?

Motivation, competence, and health – How well do newly graduated college students cope with the labor market in terms of occupational burnout, depression and sickness? What instruments can most effectively measure such factors?

Child and adolescent psychiatry – How can one most effectively help self-harming children and adolescents? Is it possible to prevent negative behavior through parent support?

Health inequalities and minority stress – How can psychological theory and social epidemiology help us understand the increased health risks of stigmatized populations? What psychological and social factors can explain lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals’ disproportionate experiences with poor mental health?

We conduct translational research focused on behavioural health, with the mission to improve and maintain health through effective and accessible behavioural interventions.

Sleep and fatigue – What is fatigue and what makes sleep good or bad? How does age and gender factors affect sleep and fatigue? What are the consequences of sleep deficiency?