Theses
The research focus of the Clinical Psychology group is pain research and thus most of the theses are in this topic area.
Application procedure
Please send your request for a thesis exclusively to the following e-mail: thesis_klinpsych@hhu.de
Your request should include a current CV, a transcript of records (if grades are available), preferred topics and/or preferred supervisors, and your timeline (including start date and when you need the grade). Only complete applications can be considered.
Bachelor theses:
The application period for WS24/25 is already closed. Applications for SS25 will be collected until 19.11.2024 at 23:59.
Topics for Bachelor theses can be offered in (almost) all projects. Please note the information on the respective project
Master's theses:
The application period for WS24/25 is already closed. The regular application period for Master's theses starting with Module C in WS25/26 starts in our department after the presentation event end of January 2025. More information will follow.
It is possible to start Module C in SS25 in some projects. Please indicate this in your application and/or follow the instructions for the respective project
We will only review all complete documents after the application periods and then give you feedback as to whether we will continue to consider your application.
External master thesis
If you would like to write an external Master's thesis with supervision from our working group, please contact us as early as possible so that you can be assigned a supervisor and take part in our Module C colloquium. Please also note that participation in our bi-weekly research colloquium as well as giving two presentations in said colloquium is mandatory.
Kaarlo: Development of a digital therapy for people with functional body complaints / somatoform complaints
In Germany, around 10% of the population are affected by functional body complaints or a diagnosis of somatoform disorder (F45).
There is currently no holistic digital therapy for those affected. Kaarlo supports those affected by enabling therapeutic treatment via an app that creates a medically sound understanding of the illness and accompanies patients in their everyday lives.
In the context of this project, various sub-areas are available for Master's theses:
- Development of specific digital therapy content based on cognitive behavioral therapy, including integration of gamification.
- Participation in clinical studies to validate the application (planning, implementation, including recruitment and evaluation).
- Conducting structured interviews with patients.
Ansprechpartner:
Language: Deutsch oder Englisch
Note: Only Master's theses are offered in this project.
Mechanisms of pain development and maintenance in patients with mitochondriopathies
Mitochondriopathies comprise a group of heterogeneous clinical pictures whose common feature is genetic damage or dysfunction of the mitochondria. Due to the special role of mitochondria in cellular metabolic processes, mitochondriopathies primarily affect cells with high energy requirements, which can manifest itself in a variety of symptoms. For a long time hardly noticed, but known for many years, is that many of those affected also suffer from severe, persistent pain. Despite their obvious relevance, pain phenomena in connection with mitochondriopathies still appear to be "under-researched", particularly with regard to the pathogenetic mechanisms. However, knowledge of this is essential for the development and application of suitable therapeutic measures. The aim of our research is therefore to characterise these mechanisms and thus ultimately contribute to the necessary scientific basis for appropriate therapeutic interventions.
Contact:
Language: German or English
Note for Master's theses: A start in SS25 would be possible. Please contact Benjamin Dickmann directly.
Endogenous pain modulation and dopamine in Parkinson's disease.
Reward can induce endogenous pain inhibition, with this being modulated by the neurotransmitter dopamine. However, the exact underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In this project, this issue will be investigated in patients with Parkinson's disease as a model disorder at the UKD. The project includes a combination of behavioral measures, pharmacological interventions and magnetoencephalography (MEG).
Contact person:
Language: English
Specific requirements: not afraid of statistics/program code, very good knowledge of English - written and spoken
No Bachelor's or Master's theses are currently being offered in this project.
Perception and interaction of visual and somatosensory stimuli
This project investigates how the presentation of visual stimuli influences the individual perception and processing of electrical and thermal pain stimuli. In particular, the role of psychological factors, such as learning processes, will be investigated.
Contact person:
Language: German or English
Reward, prediction error, and learning in the context of pain.
Exploitation and exploration are two possible behaviors in dealing with a decision-making problem. Exploitation describes the decision for a previously used or learned behavior, which represents the optimal decision based on the previous state of knowledge. Exploration, on the other hand, describes the decision to try out a new or untested behavior, which is based on the fact that the previous state of knowledge is not sufficient to make an optimal decision. While this decision is more risky, it also provides the opportunity to discover better behaviors. In this project, the exploration-exploitation dilemma is related to learning by prediction error and the fear-avoidance model in pain.
Contact:
Language: German or English
Specific requirements: not afraid of statistics/program code
Differences and individual variation in endogenous pain modulation.
The perception of pain stimuli can vary greatly while the physical intensity remains constant. This so-called endogenous pain modulation varies not only between different individuals, but also within individuals, e.g., depending on the daily form. In the context of this project, we will investigate which factors play an important role in the variation of pain modulation. This includes for example the investigation of "stress-induced analgesia".
Contact:
Language: German or English
Specific requirements: not afraid of statistics/program code