Neuro-Cognitive Psychology
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Neuro-Cognitive Psychology

Since its establishment as a scientific discipline, Psychology has been concerned with the explanation and prediction of human behavior based on a complex range of core performance functions (and dysfunctions) relating to sensation and perception, learning and memory, attention, working memory, motor and executive control, or social cognition. These mental processes depend on particular brain circuits, and over the past three decades psychology has developed a growing scientific interest in the cerebral processes underpinning general information processing and the question, how specific information is then used to guide our behavior. Accordingly, the methodological repertoire has been expanded from classical experimental psychology such as measuring reaction times or perceptual thresholds to neuroscientific techniques, as for example, electroencephalography (EEG), Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). As a consequence of these developments, an innovative, interdisciplinary research and educational field has emerged and meanwhile been well established, which, depending on the point of focus, has been coined "Cognitive Neuroscience" or "Neuro-Cognitive Psychology".


Special Features of the NCP study program

The Neuro-cognitive Psychology program

  • is an English-language study program for a selected group of outstanding students
  • is taught by leading scientists in their fields, with various teaching contributions from LMU (home institution) and a number of national and international (European) partner institutions
  • has a major focus on attentional and executive control of vision and action
  • integrates state-of-the-art theoretical and methodological approaches of Experimental Psychology and the larger field of Cognitive Neurosciences (Neurobiology, Neurophilosophy, Neuropsychology, Neuropsychiatry)
  • is research-oriented, providing advanced training in basic-science Neuro-Cognitive Psychology as well as in applied, clinical and technological research areas
  • consists of intensive, small-group and student-oriented teaching
  • provides individual supervision and advising through a personal mentor system
  • awards successful students with an international competitive Master’s degree, qualifying for an academic career but also for professional work in applied health and industrial settings
  • is an integral part of the Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences LMU Munich (GSN-LMU), preparing students for a career in research (Ph.D. program)


Teaching Network

The NCP program is conceived as an interdisciplinary study program, with main course offerings from the brain research-oriented sub-disciplines of Psychology (general and experimental, biological, neuro-, and developmental psychology) as well as contributions from LMU’s Departments of Neurobiology, Neurophilosophy, and Medicine (neuroanatomy and -physiology, neuropsychiatry) including also the Psychiatry Department of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). In addition, leading international researchers from European universities will also take an active cooperative role within the program such as providing places for laboratory internships outside of Germany.


Ph.D. in Systemic Neurosciences

NCP is part of the "Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences" and is conceived as a research-oriented Master program, with the opportunity for further graduate (Ph.D.) studies, leading to the award of a "Ph.D. in Systemic Neurosciences". Although admission to the Graduate School is dependent on a competitive selection process, especially qualified graduates of the NCP program will have a competitive advantage in this process (the NCP program offers a privileged access route to the school).