Affective Processes Lab

Research Focus

The research focuses mainly on the role of emotions (and its interplay with cognitions) in judgments and decision making. This includes projects on information processing underlying prosocial behavior (e.g. charitable giving, humanitarian aid, sustainability), risk perception, organizational behavior, and economic decision making. We use an experimental and often interdisciplinary approach to address basic theoretical questions as well as applied societal challenges.

Lab Members

Univ.Prof. Stephan Dickert, Ph.D.

+43 463 2700 1646
Stephan [dot] Dickert [at] aau [dot] at

Lab Head

Research topics:

Univ.-Ass. Dott.ssa Martina Vacondio

+43 463 2700 1606
Martina [dot] Vacondio [at] aau [dot] at

PhD Candidate

Research topics:

Sen. Scientist Saleha Afreen Khalid, M.Sc.

Saleha [dot] Khalid [at] aau [dot] at

Senior Scientist

Research topics:

Mario Graf, BSc.MSc.

Mario [dot] Graf [at] aau [dot] at

Lab Manager

Katrin Habarta

Katrin [dot] Habarta [at] aau [dot] at

Student Assistant

Sasha Nadja Maria Posthumus

Sasha [dot] Posthumus [at] aau [dot] at

Student Assistant

Isabella Strasser

Research Intern

Research topics:

Maximilian Eder

Research Intern

Research topics:

Selected Publications

Bjälkebring, P., Henning, G., Västfjäll, D., Dickert, S., Bremer, Y., Buratti, S., Hansson, I., & Johansson, B. (2020). Helping out or helping yourself? Volunteering and life satisfaction across the retirement transition. Psychology & Aging.

Erlandsson, A., Lindkvist, A., Lundkvist, K., Andersson, P., Dickert, S., Slovic, P., & Västfjäll, D. (2020). Moral preferences in helping dilemmas expressed by matching and forced choice. Judgment and Decision Making, 14, 452-475.

Rubaltelli, R., Hysenbelli, D., Dickert, S., Mayorga, M. & Slovic, P. (2020). Asymmetric cost and benefit perceptions in willingness-to-donate decisions. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making.

Hagman, W., Erlandsson, A., Dickert, S., Tinghög, G. & Västfjäll, D. (2019). The effect of paternalistic alternatives on attitudes toward default nudges. Behavioral Public Policy, 1-24.

Dickert, S., Ashby, N., & Dickert, A. (2018). Trading under the influence: The effects of psychological ownership on economic decision making. In J. Peck & S.B. Shu (Eds.), Psychological Ownership and Consumer Behavior. (pp.145-163). Cham: Springer.

Ceschi, A., Costantini, A., Dickert, S., & Sartori, R. (2017). The impact of occupational rewards on risk taking among managers. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 16, 104-111.

Dickert, S., Kleber, J., Västfjäll, D., & Slovic, P. (2016). Mental imagery, impact, and affect: A mediation model for charitable giving. Plos ONE, 11:e0148274.

Ceschi, A., Sartori, R., Dickert, S., & Costantini, A. (2016). Grit or Honesty-Humility? New insights into the moderating role of personality between the health impairment process and counterproductive work behavior. Frontiers in Psychology. 7:1799.

Dickert, S., Västfjäll, D., Kleber, J., & Slovic, P. (2015). Scope Insensitivity: The Limits of Intuitive Valuation of Human Lives in Public Policy. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 4, 248-255.

Dickert, S., Västfjäll, D., Mauro, R. & Slovic, P. (2015). The Feeling of Risk: Implications for risk perception and communication. In H. Cho, T. Reimer, & K. A. T. McComas (Eds), The SAGE Handbook of Risk Communication (pp. 41-54). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Dickert, S., Sagara, N., & Slovic, P. (2011). Affective motivations to help others: A two-stage model of donation decisions. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 24, 361-376.

Dickert, S., & Slovic, P. (2009). Attentional mechanisms in the generation of sympathy. Judgment and Decision Making, 4, 297-306.