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Complex problem solving as a mediator between basic neurocognition and real-world functioning

Project Summary

The core theme of the present research project is the relationship between basic cognitive processes, performance on complex cognitive tasks and real-world functioning. Basic cognitive processes examined in the laboratory are often not easy to relate to real-life situations, both in investigations of healthy individuals and in the clinical context. Research on complex problem solving was originally started to address precisely this gap between “the narrow straits of the laboratory and the deep blue sea of field research”. We will use the construct ‘complex problem solving’ as a mediator between basic cognition and real-world functioning, in combination with a multi-disciplinary approach to characterize the interrelation between these three levels of analysis. To this end, tightly coordinated studies using computational modelling, neuropsychological testing, functional neuroimaging, as well as  behavioral interventions will be conducted in the context of narrowly defined, shared behavioral paradigms. The planned duration of the project is three years, from January 2007 to December 2010. For further details about the project, please refer to the Project page.

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The Team

The project team is led jointly by Prof. Weisbrod (Psychatric Hospital, Univ. of Heidelberg), Prof. Funke (Psychological Institute, Univ. of Heidelberg) and Dr. Fiebach (University Hospital, Univ. of Heidelberg). Prof. Weisbrod's special interest is the application of complex problem tasks in diagnosing and understanding psychiatric disorders. Prof. Funke contributes longstanding experience in developing and applying complex problems for measurement purposes, and focuses on statistical and process models of problem solving in this project. Dr. Fiebach leads the neurophysiological investigations, which includes EEG and fMRI studies of problem solving and goal managment processes. For further project staff and external collaboration partners, please refer to the Team page.

The Team
Dr. C. Fiebach Prof. J. Funke Prof. M. Weisbrod Dr. S. Kaiser D. Holt, M.Sc.

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Acknowledgements

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This project is funded by a grant of the BMBF - Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) as part of the intitiative "Research collaborations for cognitive abilities and their impairments in humans". BMBF Logo