SynCoRe Lab
Psychological Science and Technology
The Synthetic Cognition and Reality Laboratory studies how cognition and emotion emerges and operates across biological and artificial systems in immersive environments. The lab integrates virtual reality, EEG, and explainable AI to investigate perception, decision-making, affect, and learning under ecologically valid conditions. The goal is to move beyond descriptive brain measures toward mechanistic models of cognitive processes grounded in realistic experimental contexts.
Research lines
The lab integrates empirical, computational, and theoretical approaches to understand cognition across biological and artificial systems. These pillars operate in parallel and inform one another.
Synthetic Cognition SHERPA: Explainable AI data analysis
SHERPA is an explainable-AI framework developed to obtain mechanistic insight from EEG data rather than purely predictive models. It uses attribution methods to identify when and where neural signals contribute positively or negatively to model decisions, enabling a fine-grained spatiotemporal analysis of cognitive processes. By linking machine-learning explanations directly to neurophysiological dynamics, SHERPA complements classical statistical approaches and supports theory-driven interpretation of brain activity in complex experimental settings, including VR-based paradigms.
Virtual Reality
Enhancing ecological validity in psychological science
Virtual reality combined with electroencephalography enables the study of human cognition and emotion under conditions that preserve experimental control while approximating real-world complexity. This research uses immersive VR paradigms together with EEG and behavioral measures to examine perception, embodiment, affect, and decision-making as they unfold in dynamic environments. By embedding participants in controlled yet realistic scenarios, VR-EEG allows neural processes to be studied in contexts that are difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional laboratory stimuli, supporting more ecologically valid models of cognitive and emotional function.
Psychology of AI
Coming book
The Psychology of AI provides a concise, conceptually grounded introduction to artificial intelligence from a psychological perspective. The book analyzes how AI systems generate behavior, why they appear cognitively and socially meaningful, and where comparisons with human minds break down. Its focus is on interpretation rather than engineering, offering students and researchers a framework for understanding AI as a psychological object rather than a human-like agent.