UCPH TEAM

Prof. Victoria Southgate
PI for the Københavns Universitet

I am a developmental social cognitive neuroscientist specializing in the ontogeny and development of human social cognition, with a particular interest in the skills that enable infants to learn from others. As the Principal Investigator at the Centre for Early Childhood Cognition, I use both behavioral (looking-time, eye-tracking, pupillometry, interactive tasks) and neuroimaging (EEG, fNIRS, EMG) methods to investigate the cognitive and neural mechanisms that support infants’ early social cognitive abilities. I have contributed highly-cited empirical studies and important theoretical models in the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience. I have designed novel paradigms to measure infant social cognition, which have since been widely adopted by other researchers. My work has been pivotal in combining neuroimaging and behavioral methods to further our understanding of early social cognition. In recent years, I developed a new theoretical framework for understanding early social cognition, which earned me an ERC Consolidator grant. This theory was published in Psychological Review in 2021. Additionally, I have secured funding to pioneer research into oxytocin’s (OT) role in early social cognition and caregiver-child interactions. I was also awarded a Carlsberg equipment grant to acquire a dual-fNIRS setup for my lab, further advancing my research capabilities.

Dr. Dora Kampis
I am a developmental social cognitive scientist studying the cognitive mechanisms that contribute to the highly social nature of humans. I am contributing to the field through influential empirical studies and novel theoretical models. Using behavioral methods (eye-tracking, looking time, interactive studies) and neuroimaging (primarily EEG), I explore how social-cognitive mechanisms develop early in life, their interactions with domains like perception and memory, and whether they show continuity into adulthood.
I am particularly interested in developmental questions in both ontogeny and phylogeny, as they help us understand the nature, foundation, and emergence of the phenomena we recognize in ourselves as human adults. I have designed innovative paradigms using behavioral and neuroimaging methods to investigate early social cognition, uncovering new phenomena and driving new research directions. Additionally, I advocate for open science and lead over 20 labs in the first international multi-lab replication on infant theory of mind.

 

 

 

MS Helle Lukowski
I have a master’s degree in cognitive psychology, from the University of Burgundy, France. I have worked with both elderly “healthy” citizens and patients with Alzheimer’s disease or MCI, as well as children of nursery or kindergarten age. Since 2019, I have been lab manager at the Centre for Early Childhood Cognition in Copenhagen, where we research the development of human social cognition. I am particularly interested in exploring how infants and toddlers develop the ability to recognise that others may have a perception or preference that differs from their own, which is a fundamental skill for successful social navigation. I have used both behavioral (looking-time, eye-tracking, pupillometry, interactive tasks) and neuroimaging (EEG, fNIRS) methods in the studies I have partaken in.