The Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences provides a variety of different technical facilities,which are also used by researchers from the Department of Social Neuroscience as well as other departments of the Institute. The state-of-the-art equipment (e.g., a Siemens MAGNETOM 7T scanner, a Siemens MAGNETOM Trio and a Verio, and a BRUKER MedSpec 30/100) enables scientists to conduct structural as well as functional neuroimaging studies. In addition, the institute also provides multiple facilities for the use of a variety of other methods such as MEG, TMS, and EEG.

Furthermore, the Department of Social Neuroscience provides a variety of additional methods to realize its interdisciplinary research program including studies employing virtual reality environments or paradigms adopted from fields such as neuroeconomics using a multiple-computer laboratory consisting of 18 interconnected computer stations. These computers can be used to conduct "economic-game" studies with large numbers of participants. Interactive processes in which the behavior of each participant depends on the others' responses can be studied in even more detail by taking physiological measurements such as heart rate and skin conductance or eye movement while participants play economic games. We also use this set-up for a variety of behavioral studies.

Virtual worlds, created in our Virtual Environments Laboratory, provide another powerful tool for studying social phenomena. They allow us to design experimental paradigms that manipulate context, social identity, and behavior in ways that would be difficult (or even impossible) in the physical world. We can place participants on the edge of a virtual cliff, stage encounters with individuals from social outgroups, or strategically alter non-verbal behavior during social interactions. Our data provide a nearly complete record of what the participant sees and how the participant moves during this highly controlled but relatively naturalistic experiment. We are particularly interested in using virtual environment technology in conjunction with neuroimaging techniques to study social and affective neuroscience.