I work as eLearning Administrator in the Computing Center of the Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany and I give lectures in soft skills for law students on a regular basis.
Career Background
I studied psychology in Gießen and Frankfurt/Main. My dissertation thesis was 'Sozialpsychologische Aspekte des Gehorsams im Laborexperiment' (Social psychological aspects of obedience in a laboratory setting.). For four years I worked in a research project in the Max-Planck-Institute of European Legal History,followed by research done at the university of Heidelberg ( The language of prosecutor and counsel for the defense and Lying in dialogue). My Habilitation thesis 1997 was 'Lügen im Alltag' (Lying in everyday life).
Afterwards I held substitute professorships in Graz (WS99/00) Konstanz (WS99/00 und WS00/01), Darmstadt (SS00), Braunschweig (SS01), Erfurt (SS02) and Freiburg (WS02/03). 2003 Bestowal of the title 'ausserplanmässiger Professor' (Prof. apl.). From 2004 to 2005 teaching assignments at the German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer. 2006 to date teaching assignments at the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main.
Professional Interests
Legal decision-making: Simultaneous evolvement of case and the verdict.
Language and attribution: Effect of linguistic categories on assessments of guilt.
Lying in everyday life: Lying techniques and deception evaluation.
Credibility assessment in court: Reliable assessments and a critical view of the polygraph.
Aggression: Anger-motivated behavior justified as vengeance.
Didactics: Improvement of teaching methods.