NCCR Guide 2013 - Schweizerischer Nationalfonds (SNF)

• Department of Psychology,
Blaise Pascal University,
Clermont-Ferrand, FR
• Department of Psychology,
Ghent University, BE
• Department of Psychology,
Harvard University, Boston, US
• Department of Psychology,
National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health, Cincinnati, US
• Department of Psychology,
Northwestern University,
Chicago, US
• Department of Psychology,
Rutgers University, Brunswik, US
• Department of Psychology,
Stanford University, Palo Alto, US
• Department of Psychology,
University of Berkeley, US
• Department of Psychology,
University of Chicago, US
• Department of Psychology,
University of Gent, BE
• Department of Psychology,
University of Graz, AT
• Department of Psychology,
University of Munich, DE
• Department of Psychology,
University of Pittsburgh, US
• Department of Psychology,
University of Sheffield, GB
• Department of Psychology,
University of Singapore, SG
• Department of Psychology.
Stockholm University, SE
• Department of Psychology,
University of Paris 8, FR
• Department of Psychology,
University of Tampere, FI
• Department of Psychology,
University of Würzburg, DE
• Department of Psychology,
Uppsala University, SE
• Department of Psychology,
Johannes-Gutenberg-University
Mainz, DE
• Department of Psychology,
Work and Organisational
Psychology, Konstanz, DE
• Department of Psychology,
Yale University, New Haven, US
• Department of Sociology,
University of Lausanne, CH
• Dipartimento di Informatica
Sistematica e Telematica: InfoMus
Lab, University of Genoa, IT
• Douglas Psychiatry Research
Hospital, McGill University,
Montreal, CA
• Embodied Agents Research Group,
German Research
Centre for AI, Saarbrücken, DE
• Environnements Virtuels pour
l’Animation et la Synthèse
d’Images d’Objets Naturels,
Institut National de Recherche en
Informatique et en Automatique
Rhone-Alpes, Grenoble, FR
• German Police University,
Social, Work and Organisational
Psychology, Münster, DE
• Health Psychology Section,
University of Ulm, DE
• HECV-Santé,
• Institution National de la Santé
et de la Recherche,
Hôpital de la Salpétrière, Paris, FR
• Institut Communication Parlée,
Université de Grenoble, FR
• Institut Dalcroze, Geneva, CH
• Institut de Biologia Evolutiva,
Universitat Pumpeu Fabra,
Barcelona, ES
• Institut für Finanzwissenschaft,
Universität Innsbruck, AT
• Institut National de la Santé
et de la Recherche Médicale,
Centre de Recherche Cerveau
et Cognition, Toulouse, FR
Affective Sciences:
Emotion in Individual Behaviour
and Social Processes
NCCR Affective Sciences
Achievements of the previous years
Research
During its first two phases,
the NCCR Affective Sciences
has demonstrated a
high level of productivity,
resulting in many publications
in leading international
journals and books.
The concrete research
achievements include: the
experimental confirmation
of cumulative-sequential
processing of external stimuli;
the creation of a reference
corpus and data bank
of emotional expressions;
the experimental demonstration
of the role of social
context and personality on
brain responses to other
people‘s emotions; the pioneering
ambulatory assessment
of emotional reactions
and regulation in real life
settings (e.g., work place
and family); the confirmation
that social stressors at
work have a powerful and
measurable impact on emotions
and, consequently,
on health and well-being;
the experimental confirmation
that lack of perseverance
and other impulsivity
aspects are related
to interference in working
memory and response
inhibition (with potential
consequences for emotional
stability); the demonstration
that the intranasal administration
of the neuropeptide
Oxytocin, central in social
approach behaviour in nonhuman
mammals, causes a
substantial increase in trust
in humans; the conceptual
analysis of shame and guilt,
establishing a fundamental
distinction between them;
the analysis of the emotional
issues related to individual
attitudes towards organ donation;
and a comparison
of the emotional aspects of
myths and rites in different
ancient and classical cultures.
The interdisciplinary Research
Foci have been an
outstanding success, in
particular the foci on Music
and Emotion and Language
and Culture. In addition to a
large number of workshops
and symposia, mostly published
as books or special
journal issues, several major
interdisciplinary research
projects are currently being
conducted. For example, a
large intercultural project
has established semantic
profiles for emotion words
in over 30 languages, which,
in addition to producing
valuable scientific insights,
will allow more appropriate
translations in cross-cultural
research. The Transversal
Module Methods has
produced several important
toolboxes to be shared
within the NCCR and the
scientific community at
large. The NCCR is also a
leading partner in the University
of Geneva‘s Brain
and Behavior Laboratory,
which combines in a single
facility top notch brain imaging,
psychophysiological
measurement, behavioural
interaction and expression
analysis with virtual reality
tools used to elicit emotions.
The NCCR also has a large
number of associate members,
academics and professionals
from inside and
outside Switzerland. The
research expertise and past
achievements of several of
our scientists has been acknowledged
by prizes and
grants such as the Marcel
Benoist prize (E. Fehr), the
Théodore Ott prize (T. Landis),
ERC Starting grants (G.
Pourtois, T. Singer), and an
ERC Advanced grant (K. R.
Scherer).
Education and training
& Advancement of women
The NCCR‘s doctoral program
provides varied interdisciplinary
training for
the graduate students at
the NCCR. Similarly, the
postdoctoral program provides
top-level seminars
and a forum of exchange
for the postdoctoral fellows.
Regular thematic and
methodological meetings
are also organized with invited
speakers from Switzerland
and abroad. In
2012, the NCCR celebrated
the fourth International
Summer School in Affective
Sciences (ISSAS). In order
to support women and young
researchers with family
responsibilities, the NCCR
has also implemented stipends
to help with day care
costs and allow researchers
to pursue their academic career.
Knowledge transfer
& Public information
The NCCR is strongly committed
to transferring scientific
knowledge to society.
Successful projects are
being conducted in collaboration
with (and with additional
funding from) Firmenich,
a world leader in
fragrance research and production,
the German technology
institute Fraunhofer,
and the foundation for marketing
research Gesellschaft
für Konsumforschung.
During the past years, our
researchers participated in
several major events for the
general public organized by
the University of Geneva. The
Center has also responded
to numerous requests from
the media, and has collaborated
with local museums in
several exhibitions. Its large
website continues to draw an
international audience. Both
research results and knowledge
transfer activities are
featured prominently in the
Center‘s newsletter.
Further information see
www.affective-sciences.org
98 | Guide 2013