Foundations of Psychophysiology
Grundlagen der Psychophysiologie
6 CPevery semesterEN
Contents
The module consists of lectures and a seminar. The lectures cover relevant aspects of general human physiology as well as more specific processes that can be measured using electrocardiography (ECG, heart activity), electromyography (EMG, muscle activity), electrodermal activity (EDA, skin conductance), eye tracking, as well as brain activity through functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG). The techniques behind each of these methods are discussed as well, along with properties of the recorded signal and some known correlates of that signal to mental processes or psychological states. Ethical, social and legal issues arising from research into the use of psychophysiological data will be discussed. This includes the recording of data, data security, transparency and ethical issues relating to experiments. In the seminar, students will read, present and discuss relevant papers published in scientific journals, reflecting different experiments involving physiological data. Additionally, students will write an essay on a related topic.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing the module, students possess an understanding of the physiological processes in the human body that lead to biomarkers of different mental states. They furthermore understand the principles of experimental design in the context of psychophysiology, and have experience reading, critiquing, and writing psychophysiological research literature.
Assessment
• written test, 90 minutes
Literature (3)
- Andreassi, J. (2007). Psychophysiology: Human Behavior and Physiological Response (5th Edition). New York, NY, USA: Psychology Press
- Gramann, K. & Schandry, R. (2009). Psychophysiologie (4. Auflage). Basel, Switzerland: Beltz
- Selected scientific papers
Remarks
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Source: BTU's module description · retrieved 29 Sep 2026Original