Master Thesis

Master Theses

Master theses in our department are usually empirical, but literature work is possible in exceptional cases.

Possible questions for literature work lie in the overlapping area of ??clinical and cognitive psychology, for example how pathological aspects (e.g. attention in autism) interact with cognitive processes (e.g. success in category learning).

Empirical master theses can be written on questions in the area of ??our current research focus. However, you can also ask your own questions in consultation with the supervisor

You can find a selection of our current research focuses and questions on which empirical master's theses are possible here:

• Loss aversion, arousal and affect in multi-armed bandit tasks (Ludwig Danwitz)
• Active and passive decisions for and against risk in the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. (Ludwig Danwitz)
• Sustainability and decisions (Ann-Katrin Hosch)
• Cognitive processes in categorization decisions (René Schlegelmilch)
• Cognitive processes in preference decisions (René Schlegelmilch)
• Decisions under risk and individual differences (René Schlegelmilch)
• Age-related changes in decision-making behavior (Bettina von Helversen)
• Social influences on decision-making behavior (Bettina von Helversen)
• Serial-position effect across short-term memory tasks (Hsuan-Yu Lin)
• Reshaping the serial-position effect in recognition tasks (Hsuan-Yu Lin)
• The effect of information accessibility on decision-making strategy (Hsuan-Yu Lin)
• Time perception and temporal processing (Daniel Bratzke)
• Introspection in cognitively demanding tasks (e.g., multitasking) (Daniel Bratzke)

Topics of earlier empirical master theses were for example:

• Psychological inoculation and the influence of conservatism on its effectiveness
• Exploration - Exploitation Dilemma in relation to the aspiration level
• The influence of experience reports on medical decisions in younger and older people
• Exploration/exploitation trade-off and mental disorders
• Power posing: investigating the relationship between power posing and self-efficacy and self-esteem
• Are people more sensitive to information from people of the same age? A study on age differences in the influence of social risk information on risky decision-making behaviour in the leisure sector
• Credibility of online consumer reviews: The influence of affect intensity and reviewer identity
• Credibility of online consumer reviews in the medical context
• Medical Decision Making: The influence of patient statements and age
• Individual differences in the elicitation of risk preference: A moderation by impulsivity, sensation-seeking or reward sensitivity?
• On the role of instructions and ordering in category learning
• Existential threat as a predictor of decision-making behaviour with regard to solidary behaviours
• Form or function? A study on the effect of different affirmations on body image

If you are interested in a master thesis in the General Psychology group, please contact Bettina von Helversen. Please indicate which topic / question you are interested in.

General information on writing and registering a master's thesis can be found here: Master thesis guidelines