Human Motivation & Affective Neuroscience Lab
  home our research publications research team teaching & resources contact us
back to the Chair for Experimental Psychology
Welcome
Welcome to the website of the Human Motivation and Affective Neuroscience (HuMAN) laboratory! Research at the HuMAN Lab aims at providing a better understanding of the physiological, cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of motivation in humans. Our research has a strong emphasis on nonconscious (i.e., implicit) motivational processes that occur and influence behavior without the person becoming aware of them. We also explore how implicit motives relate to and interact with people's conscious goals and beliefs about their motivational needs. The methods we use to explore these questions include non-declarative personality assessment, measurement of salivary hormone levels, assessment of basic cognitive functions, Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning, and brain imaging. The HuMAN Lab is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Mental Health, and the University of Michigan.
To find out more, please use the navigation menu at the top of the page.

Latest News: 13 December 2010

What color naming speed reveals about the wisdom of one's goal choices

Research recently conducted at the HuMAN Lab suggests that the speed with which people can name a color patch reveals quite a bit about how wisely they choose their goals in everyday life. Starting from the observation that the goals people commit to and pursue in their daily lives match their unconscious (i.e., implicit) motivational needs only about half of the time, Schultheiss and colleagues wanted to find out what's behind our inability to choose motive-congruent goals more consistently.
Find out more...

New edited book on implicit motives available

Oliver C. Schultheiss (Friedrich-Alexander University) and Joachim C. Brunstein (Justus-Liebig University) are the editors of “Implicit Motives”, a new book that brings together the latest and best in theory and research on implicit motives. Written by leading authorities in the field, chapters range from portrayals of power, achievement and affiliation motives and their assessment to accounts of how motives shape cognition and physiological changes, their relationship with the needs people attribute to themselves, and their role in culture and society.
Find out more...

Implicit Motives Cover
pdf-download


For foreign students interested in pursuing a doctoral degree (“Dr. phil.”) at Friedrich-Alexander University through the HuMAN Lab:

The HuMAN-Lab provides research opportunities for foreign students interested in doing work that is closely related to the Lab’s mission. However, due to the requirements of the German university system, regular 3-year positions with a teaching load of 3 courses/year are only available to applicants with documented oral and written fluency in German. Applicants who can obtain a stipend (e.g., through the DAAD or funding agencies from their home country) are also welcome to apply. All applicants must have a master’s degree in psychology and must submit, along with documentation of their degrees, a curriculum vitae, a list of at least two individuals who can comment on their academic achievements, and a letter of intent that sketches out in 2 pages or less the specific research aims and interests of the candidate and how they fit the HuMAN Lab’s mission.

Lab News: February 2012

The HuMAN Lab welcomes Humboldt fellow Jonathan Oxford, PhD

Jonathan Oxford received his PhD from the University of Missouri (Columbia, Missouri, USA) in 2010. He is an evolutionary psychologist whose research focuses on the interplay between hormones and cognition and behavior in humans, with a particular emphasis on social competition and dominance. His research at the HuMAN Lab is supported by a stipend by the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation. Welcome to the Lab, Jon!


Last updated: 7 Februar, 2012

home  |   our research  |   publications  |   research team  |   teaching & resources  |   contact us

nsf-logo    dfg-logo