Welcome to the SPRINGLAB
Social (Perception, Reasoning, Interactions) Neuroscience Group
Photo from the streets of Santiago, Chile
© 2024, Dana Samson
We explore the cognitive and neural basis of social behavior
At SpringLab, we specialize in developing innovative behavioral paradigms to investigate the broad scope of social cognition, from basic perspective-taking to complex moral reasoning.
More recently, we initiated two new lines of research to explore the relationship between social cognition and, on the one hand, wisdom (one of the most sustainable approaches to decision-making) and, on the other hand, social isolation (one of the most detrimental predictors of mental and physical health).
Drawing on a wide range of experimental psychology and neuroscience techniques, we study individuals with social impairments, including brain-damaged and psychiatric patients, as well as healthy adults.
Our aim is to contribute to both scientific knowledge and its clinical and broader societal applications.
We are located at the Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium) since 2010
Previous locations : University of Nottingham (2007-2011), University of Birmingham (2002-2007)
Wisdom
What are the cognitive and neural bases of wisdom? How can we foster wisdom? See details
Picture © 2025, Dana Samson
Social Isolation
What are the socio-cognitive determinants of social isolation and loneliness? See details
Photo from the streets of Santiago, Chile,
© 2024, Dana Samson
Perspective Taking
When and how do we see what other see? See details
Photo from the streets of Valparaiso, Chile,
© 2024, Dana Samson
Theory of Mind
How can we unpack this complex construct at the cognitive and neural level? See details
Photo from the streets of Santiago, Chile,
© 2024, Dana Samson
Moral Cognition
When and how do we consider mitigating factors in our moral judgments? See details
Photo from the streets of Valparaiso, Chile,
© 2024, Dana Samson
Clinical Neuropsychology
We develop clinical diagnosis and rehabilitation tools. See details
Photo from the streets of Santiago, Chile,
© 2024, Dana Samson
Many of our stimuli and data are freely available on Figshare
See links in the topic sections
Interested in our research ?
Contact us at dana.samson@uclouvain.be