The Scientific Area of Psychology at FCH-UCP announces the soon to open New Psychology Laboratory, comprising an Experimental Psychology Lab and a Multi-purpose Psychology Lab. When construction work is completed our students and their supervisors will be able to use our state of the art resources for their research:

• Experimental studies computer room, an eye-tracking room, a Physiological Unit (enabling the study of electrodermal activity, cardiac activity, facial electromyography, and EEG), an observation room video with a recording soundproof facility, training facility and focus groups facility.

This widens opportunities for research toward Master’s and Doctoral Thesis and is also great news for the faculty projects.

Some projects that are either ongoing or about to be launched within the Lab are:

• Awesome Nature

Ongoing project; at its current stage, the team is developing resources and testing hypotheses connecting the experience of Awe, empathy, positive emotions and contact with nature with wellbeing, prosocial and proenvironmental behavior. The project entails testing diverse media (including virtual reality), and the local team benefits from a partnership with collaborators from NOVA technology.
 

• Empathy, Media & Ethical Consumerism

this is an ongoing project that explores the roles of Emotions, Empathic reactions, Beliefs, Information, Media, and various individual traits in consumer habits and in changes in consumer behaviour. The project entails, among others, studies on human-animal interaction, cruelty-free purchases and shifting to a plant-based diet.
 

• Attention and attitudes towards affective stimuli

Ongoing project studying experimentally how our attention is related to the prejudices and preconceived ideas associated with the affective relevance of different categories of stimuli.
 

• Stress, anxiety and decision making

Ongoing project studying experimentally how stress and anxiety can influence performance and decision making.

Examples of other topics/projects:

• Empathy 
• Positive Emotions and Wellbeing
• Career Paths and Affective Processes
• Emotions and the Digital World
• Leadership, followership and Emotions
• Emotions linked to specific groups and social contexts