The focus on human beings

As an academic discipline, psychology has the overarching goal of understanding and predicting human behavior and experience in relevant life situations. In light of the technological, environmental, and social challenges—which are also reflected in the guiding principles of PLUS—this endeavor is more important than ever. To pursue this goal, an empirical approach is necessary on many levels (including cognitive, emotional-motivational, and biological): This is reflected, on the one hand, in the department’s broad thematic and methodological scope, as well as in the numerous interdisciplinary collaborations among its members. In our educational programs, our goal is to introduce students to an empirically and fact-based way of thinking that they will carry not only into their future professional careers but also as engaged citizens in an increasingly complex world.

Since its founding in 1965 by Wilhelm Revers, the Department of Psychology has consistently dedicated itself to this goal at the highest level of excellence. Numerous influential developments originated in Salzburg. Examples include work in the field of Theory of Mind (including the development of the “Sally-Ann” task) and research on the significance of certain neural oscillations for cognitive processes, which have shaped entire fields of research internationally. The department’s success is underscored by its steady growth in terms of staff, students, publications, and external funding.

The collegial collaboration and an atmosphere of shared learning are enhanced by the department’s location in the green southern part of the city. Salzburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is situated in close proximity to beautiful mountains and lakes.