How does the human brain process information in the complex situations of everyday life? What neural mechanisms are at work when we listen, think, decide—or get distracted—in real-world environments? At the Translational Psychology Lab, we investigate these questions using mobile and ecologically valid methods in cognitive neuroscience. 

A key focus of our work lies in mobile EEG recordings, particularly ear-EEG—discreet, wearable electrodes placed around the ear. This technology enables us to measure brain activity where behavior actually happens: in traffic, in conversation, at work, or at home. Using these methods, we study how attention, speech processing, and cognitive load function under naturalistic conditions—and how contextual factors such as personal relevance, background noise, or emotional content modulate brain activity.

Our research is translational: it builds bridges between laboratory and everyday life, between basic science and applied insight. Our goal is to understand cognitive processes in the environments in which they naturally occur—and to use this understanding to inform meaningful, real-world applications.

The lab is funded as part of a Heisenberg Professorship awarded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).