Psych III Home

   Markus Kiefer

Home


Publications

Media Reports

Curriculum Vitae

Impressum




  Markus Kiefer, Ph.D.    Senior Scientist

Head of the Section for Cognitive Electrophysiology

Lecturer (Privatdozent)
at the Department of Psychology
EXT
of the University of Konstanz

University of Ulm
Department of Psychiatry
Leimgrubenweg 12

D-89075 Ulm, Germany

Phone: +49 (0) 731-500-61532
Fax:   
+49 (0) 731-500-61542
Email to 
Markus Kiefer


Link to the home page of the Section for Cognitive Electrophysiology

My research is focused on the cognitive psychology and the cognitive neuroscience of memory and executive function. Besides of behavioral experiments, my colleagues and I use high-resolution event-related potentials (ERPs) and functional magnetic  resonance imaging (fMRI) in order to investigate the temporal and spatial orchestration of brain activity subserving these cognitive functions.

Within this field I am working on the following four topics:

  Semantic Memory Structure

In this part of my research, my coworkers and I investigate according to which general principles conceptual object knowledge is stored in human long-term memory. Hereby we test the assumption that conceptual knowledge is not abstract, but modality-specific that is it is essentially derived from our perceptual and motor interactions with the outside world. More information regarding this research project is found on the home page of the Semantic Memory Research Group.

Selected publications:

"Brain-friendly learning in vocational education"
This flyer describes evidence-based guidelines for optimized learning in vocational education. It has been developed in cooperation with vocational instructors at Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH in Gingen, Germany.
 

Kiefer, M. (2001). Perceptual and semantic sources of category-specific effects in
  object categorization: Event-related potentials during picture and word
  categorization. Memory & Cognition, 29, 100-116.

 
Kiefer, M. (2005). Repetition priming modulates category-related effects on
  event-related potentials: Further evidence for multiple cortical semantic systems.
  Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17, 199-211.

Kiefer, M., Sim, E.-J., Liebich, S., Hauk, O. & Tanaka, J. (2007).
  Experience-dependent plasticity of conceptual representations in human
  sensory-motor areas. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 19, 525-542.


Kiefer, M., & Spitzer, M. (2001). The limits of a distributed account of conceptual
  knowledge. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 5, 469-471.
 

Sim, E.-J. & Kiefer, M. (2005). Category-related brain activity to natural categories
  is associated with the retrieval of visual features: Evidence from repetition effects
  during visual and functional judgments. Cognitive Brain Research, 24, 260-273.



  Visual Masking and Semantic Priming

How is semantic knowledge accessed during word recognition? What are the electrophysiological correlates of automatic vs. controlled access to semantic memory? In order to study automatic semantic priming in isolation, we used a visual masking procedure, which rendered the prime words unavailable to conscious experience. Nevertheless, although not consciously perceived, these prime words modulated behavioral reactions as well as the N400 ERP component. We were able to show that conscious and unconscious semantic priming exhibit in principle the same brain areas, but show different time courses. More information is found on the home page of the Unconscious Visual Perception Research Group. This research is conducted within the research network "Neuro-cognitive Mechanisms of Conscious and Unconscious Visual Perception" funded by the German Research Foundation.

Selected publications:

 
Kiefer, M. (2002). The N400 is modulated by unconsciously perceived masked words:
  Further evidence for a spreading activation account of N400 priming effects.
  Cognitive Brain Research, 13, 27-39.

 
Kiefer, M. (2002). Bewußtsein (Consciousness). In Müsseler, J., & Prinz,
  W. (Hrsg.), Lehrbuch der Allgemeinen Psychologie (pp. 178-222). Heidelberg:
  Spektrum, Akademischer Verlag.

Kiefer, M. (2007). Top-down modulation of unconscious 'automatic' processes:
   A gating framework.
Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 3, 289-306.
   Download article


Kiefer, M. & Brendel, D. (2006). Attentional modulation of unconscious 'automatic'
   processes: Evidence from event-related potentials in a masked priming paradigm.
   Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 18, 184-198.

Kiefer, M. & Spitzer, M. (2000). Time course of conscious and unconscious semantic
  brain activation. NeuroReport, 11, 2401-2407.


Martens, E.U., Schweinberger, S.R., Kiefer, M., Burton,  A.M. (2006). Masked and
  unmasked electrophysiological repetition effects of famous faces. Brain Research,
  1109, 146-157.



  Working memory/Executive Function

The coordination of processes underlying cognition and action is an important prerequisite for goal-directed behavior. It  is assumed that some of the working memory systems are mainly dedicated for holding relevant information on line while others (executive function) are involved in manipulating this information and in the goal-directed orchestration of information processing. My colleagues and I investigate the functional neuroanatomy of working memory systems and their dysfunction in psychiatric disorders.


Selected publications:

Kiefer, M., Marzinzik, F., Weisbrod, M., Scherg, M. & Spitzer, M. (1998). The time
  course of brain activations during response inhibition: Evidence from event-related
  potentials in a Go/Nogo task. NeuroReport, 9, 765-770.
 
Weisbrod, M., Kiefer, M., Marzinzik, F. & Spitzer, M. (2000). Executive control is
  disturbed in schizophrenia: Evidence from event-related potentials in a Go/Nogo
  task. Biological Psychiatry, 47, 51-60.
 
Kiefer, M. Apel, A., & Weisbrod, M. (2002). Arithmetic fact retrieval and working
  memory in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 53, 219-227.
 
Kiefer, M., Ahlegian, M. & Spitzer, M. (2005). Working memory capacity, indirect
  semantic priming and Stroop interference: Pattern of interindividual prefrontal
  performance differences in healthy volunteers. Neuropsychology, 19, 332-344.
 
Kessler, K. & Kiefer, M. (2005). Disturbing visual working memory:
  Electrophysiological evidence for a role of prefrontal cortex in recovery from
  interference. Cerebral Cortex, 15, 1075-1087.



  Emotion and memory

Emotions have important modulatory influences on cognitive processes such as memory and executive functions. It is assumed that emotions configure the cognitive system thereby improving human adaptation to enviromental challenges. Meanwhile it is well accepted that emotional mood states trigger different cognitive styles and -
as a consequence - influence memory processes. However, the precise neuro-cognitive mechanisms underlying the emotion/cognition interface are unclear. To address this issue, we investigate the influences of positive and negative mood states on episodic memory encoding.



Selected publications:

Erk, S., Kiefer, M., Grothe, J., Wunderlich, A., Spitzer, M. & Walter, H. (2003).
  Emotional context modulates subsequent memory effect. NeuroImage,18, 439-447.

Kiefer, M., Schuch, S., Schenck, W. & Fiedler, K. (2007). Mood states modulate
  activity in semantic brain areas during emotional word encoding. Cerebral Cortex, 17, 1560-1530.

Kiefer, M., Schuch, S., Schenck, W. & Fiedler, K. (2007). Emotion and memory:
  Event-related potential indices predictive for subsequent successful memory depend
  on the emotional mood state. Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 3, 363-373.
 
Download article