Research profile Field of Focus IV

The central concern of Field of Focus 4 is to better understand human (self-) regulation processes at the level of individuals and societies in interdisciplinary dialogue. The main participants in this study are from the subject areas represented by the Faculty of Behavioural and Cultural Studies, the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Law.

Scientists in Field of Focus 4 aim at understanding the capacity of self-regulation and how it develops over a person’s lifespan. Internal and external influences impacting on the faculty of self-regulation as well as inter-individual and cultural differences are also analysed. Researchers in Field of Focus 4 investigate the cognitive processes that underlie self-regulation processes and the relation between the capacity of self-regulation and decision-making and problem-solution processes. Questions about the importance of self-regulation for a healthy life and about the effects of disturbances of self-regulation processes are also addressed. Such topics are of special interest for disciplines such as psychology, anthropology, education or sport, all to be found in the Faculty of Behavioural and Cultural Studies. In addition, they form a bridge to the life sciences (in particular medicine) as well as to the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR).

When it comes to regulation in larger social units, researchers in Field of Focus 4 discover, for example, how social groups (e.g. families, organisations, companies or political institutions) regulate their interaction so that feelings, needs, reflections, claims and values of members are adequately considered. They also analyse how decisions are made in complex social systems and how questions relating to the availability and distribution of resources are settled. Such topics are taken up, for example, by disciplines like economics, sociology or political science. Different sub-disciplines of law are likewise relevant when it comes to studying the regulation of interpersonal relations in the form of legislative processes and the application of laws.

The FOF4 Core Facility for Neuroscience of Self-Regulation (CNSR) is a central facility for bundling the technical, methodological, and organizational infrastructure necessary for research. The CNSR enables all researchers within Heidelberg University and external national and international cooperation partners to use state-of-the-art measurement systems for systems neuroscience.