Otto-Selz-Institute of Applied Psychology

Prof. Dr. Georg W. AlpersAffiliationsUniversity of Mannheim20Websiteosi.uni-mannheim.de

The Otto-Selz-Institute (OSI) (in German: Otto-Selz-Institut für Angewandte Psychologie) is an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Mannheim. It combines research, teaching and therapy.^[1]

History

The institute is named after the German psychologist Otto Selz (1881 - 1943). As a professor of philosophy, psychology and education, he devoted himself equally to questions of theoretical and applied psychology as well as questions of philosophy and education. In particular, he published on the psychology of thinking. In 1929 he took up the position of rector of the Mannheim Commercial College (later the University of Mannheim), which he had to resign in the wake of National Socialism in 1930 because of his Jewish origins. ^[2]

Concept

The Otto Selz Institute comprises teaching, research and therapy. This includes the psychological outpatient clinic of the University of Mannheim, the training outpatient clinic for prospective psychotherapists, as well as the research area, which is closely linked to the Chair of Clinical and Biological Psychology and Psychotherapy at the university. The aim is to offer patients psychotherapy in accordance with the latest research and to train future psychotherapists. The facility is in close interdisciplinary exchange with other regional institutions on new scientific findings. ^[3]

Research

The institute is organized into 5 major research groups (ABs) and several support units:

• AB 1: Evaluation, Diagnostics and Methods
• AB 2: Psychobiology and Health
• AB 3: Cognitive Processes and Power
• AB 4: Economics and Organization Processes
• AB 5: Health Support and Education

Research

The OSI works and researches in close collaboration with the Chair of Clinical and Biological Psychology and Psychotherapy of the University of Mannheim.

Publications

This list is non-exhaustive:

• Werner W. Wittmann: Two faces of mental speed: Evidence on convergent and discriminant validity; Presented at 11th European Conference on Personality (organized by Karl Schweizer); Jena; July 2002.
• Werner W. Wittmann: Work motivation and level of performance: A disappointing relationship?; Published at XXV International Congress of Applied Psychology as part of the symposia "Integrative Approaches to Work Motivation: Ability and Non-ability Determinants of Regulatory Processes, Learning, and Performance" (organized by Ruth Kanfer); Singapore; Juli 2002.
• Werner W. Wittmann: Complex Problem-Solving via Simulations; Published at American Psychological Society (APS) as part of the symposia "New Directions in Cognitive Assessment" (organized by Pat Kyllonen); New Orleans, Louisiana; June 2002.
• Werner W. Wittmann: The reliability of change scores: Many misinterpretations of Lord and Cronbach by many others. Revisiting some basics for longitudinal research; Published at Methodology Conference "Evaluation of Change in Longitudinal Data"; Nuremberg; July 1997.
• Werner W. Wittmann, Heinz-Martin Süß: Challenging g-Mania in Intelligence Research: Answers not given, due to questions not asked; Presented at ISSID-Symposium: New Directions in ability research; Aarhus, Denmark; July 1997.
• Werner W. Wittmann: Gender Differences in Reading and Math - An international perspective and some potential consequences for the economy; Presented at the 12th Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences (ISSID); Giessen; July 2007.
• Werner W. Wittmann: Gender Differences in Academic Success; Presented at the 12th Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences (ISSID); Adelaide, Australia; July 2005.
• Werner W. Wittmann: Brunswik-Symmetry: A key concept for successful assessment in education and elsewhere; Presented at the 4th Spearman Conference (ETS); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; October 2004.
• Werner W. Wittmann: Working memory and intelligence, looking at its relationship through Brunswik's lens; Presented at the annual APS-convention in a symposium "Working memory and intelligence: Controversy or consensus?" (organized by Phil Ackerman); Atlanta, Georgia; May/June 2003.
• Werner W. Wittmann: Brunswik-Symmetry, a Golden Key Concept to Disentangle Complexity; Invited contribution to a symposium titled "Advancing Psychological Science by Studying Complex Tasks and Expertise", (organized by Earl B. Hunt & Leo Gugerty); American Psychological Association Convention 2007; San Francisco, California; August 2007.

See also

• Mannheim
• University of Mannheim

Notes and references