We research, and you can participate.
Our research focuses on cognitive, behavioral, and neural aspects of self-regulation, as well as attention-related processes. Another key area of study is Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Our work is grounded in both basic scientific and applied empirical studies. We employ qualitative and quantitative methods in longitudinal and cross-sectional designs, with an emphasis on studying participants in their natural environments.
For participation in our studies, we are looking for interested children, adolescents, and adults!
If you are interested, please contact the Coordination of School Psychology or the project leaders. We are participating in the shared contact database for developmental research studies. To ensure you don't miss any studies, please sign up using the contact form.
Current Research Projects - Take Part!
Participate why?: Although we often intend to live healthier and, for example, exercise more in our everyday lives, some days we are more successful than others in realizing such intentions. Everyday fluctuations in our self-regulation may be responsible for this. Self-regulation—that is, the ability to orchestrate one's own actions, thoughts and feelings in a goal-orientated manner, has a significant influence on individual success (e.g., at school, university or at work), but also on our health and well-being. The starting point of our study is therefore the following questions: How do fluctuations in self-regulation affect health-related goals? And how are these fluctuations related to our well-being? Participate in: Based on these findings, we aim to support the development of long-term measures promote the well-being of university students.
Participants: Have you just started your university studies (first or second semester) and are interested to participate in our study? For further information you can check our information poster or write an email to bewusst@psychologie.uni-tuebingen.de
Duration of the research project
12 months (March 2024 – February 2025)
Project team
Anne Eppinger Ruiz de Zarate
(Department of Psychology, LEAD Graduate School & Research Network)
Tomasz Moschko
(Department of Psychology)
Prof. Dr. Caterina Gawrilow
(Department of Psychology, LEAD Graduate School & Research Network)
Funded by
LEAD Graduate School & Research Network
SEAL Reason for Participation: The newly developed SEAL questionnaire assesses socio-emotional issues in children with learning difficulties and is currently undergoing nationwide standardization in Germany. The questionnaire is completed by teachers, parents, and children/adolescents to understand typical age-appropriate behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. We are seeking teachers in Baden-Württemberg who can complete questionnaires themselves and distribute them to parents and students. Completing one questionnaire takes approximately 20 minutes. More information can be found here. If interested or if you have any questions, please contact project leader Annika Husemann at SEAL@uni-tuebingen.de.
Participants: Teachers, parents, and students from all school types in grades 1-10.
Participate in: Contributing to the standardization of the SEAL questionnaire to better identify psychological issues in children with learning difficulties.
Completed Research Projects
Children and adolescents with symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often struggle to regulate their own thoughts, feelings, and actions (Döpfner et al., 2008). These difficulties in self-regulation are associated with daily cognitive and emotional fluctuations. (Epstein et al., 2003).
Schwarz, U., & Gawrilow, C. (2019). Measuring and compensating for deficits of self- regulation in school children via ambulatory assessment. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 12(4), 8-22.
Hilger, K., Sassenhagen, J., Kühnhausen, J., Reuter, M., Schwarz, U., Gawrilow, C., & Fiebach, C. J. (2020). Neurophysiological markers of ADHD symptoms in typically- developing children. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 1-15.
Reuter, M., Kühnhausen, J., Kleinhansl, M., Henn, L., & Gawrilow, C. (2021). Children's daily time in natural spaces during spring/summer time: Within-person restoration and the role of environmental attitude. Umweltpsychologie, 25(2), 169-189.
Buhr, L., Moschko, T., Eppinger Ruiz de Zarate, A., Schwarz, U., Kühnhausen, J., & Gawrilow, C. (2022). The association of self-reported ADHD symptoms and sleep in daily life of a general population sample of school children: An inter- and intraindividual perspective. Brain Sciences, 12(4), 440.
Moschko, T., Stadler, G., & Gawrilow, C. (2023). Fluctuations in children’s self-regulation and parent-child interaction in everyday life: An ambulatory assessment study. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40(1), 254-276.
Eppinger-Ruiz de Zarate, A. , Powell, D., Kühnhausen, J., Allan, J. L., Johnstone, A., Crabtree, D. R., Buosi, W., Fyfe, C. L., McMinn D., McCavour, B, Gawrilow, C., Stadler, G. (2024). Free-living physical activity and executive function: A multi-study analysis of age groups and times of day. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology 24 (2024) 100425.
Executive Functions in Kindergarten - Executive functions refer to how well children can control their thinking and actions, such as ignoring distractions, focusing on tasks, or shifting attention from one activity to another. Age-appropriate development of executive functions helps children successfully transition into school.
Ulitzka, B., Schmidt, H., Daseking, M., Karbach, J., Gawrilow, C., & auch Koerner, J. K. (2023). EF Touch–Testbatterie zur Erfassung der exekutiven Funktionen bei 3-bis 5-Jährigen. Diagnostica.
Schmidt, H., Daseking, M., Gawrilow, C., Karbach, J., & Kerner auch Koerner, J. (2022). Self‐regulation in preschool: Are executive function and effortful control overlapping constructs?. Developmental Science, 25(6), e13272.
Digital Differentiation: Integrating Linguistic and Cognitive Measures for Adaptive Support
Foreign language skills enhance personal and professional opportunities and promote understanding between people of different cultures. At the heart of modern foreign language teaching is the concept of competency-based, communicative language instruction. Particularly in the school context, individual practice of the foreign language plays a central role as it supports educators in focusing on communicative activities in the classroom, while individual learning time fosters the development of language skills on a personalized level.
Supported by the
Robert Bosch Foundation for teaching concepts with digital media.
In our studies, we examine the experiences of children, adolescents, and adults in school, including negative experiences such as bullying, violence, and discrimination. Discrimination refers to unjust treatment based on characteristics like gender, sexual orientation, or origin. Our goal is to highlight these experiences and provide better support to those affected. Participating in such studies can trigger negative feelings and stress. In such cases, please contact our coordination office (+49 7071/29-75544 or +49 7071/29-75546) or the study's responsible person. We can provide you with contact information for psychosocial counseling centers in the area that offer free counseling and support.