University of Gothenburg
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  4. Stefan Hansen

Stefan Hansen

Professor Emeritus

Department of
Psychology
Mail
stefan.hansen@psy.gu.se
Visiting address
Haraldsgatan 1
41314 Göteborg
Postal address
Box 500
40530 Göteborg

About Stefan Hansen

Biography

  • PhD 1980
  • Docent 1981
  • University lecturer 1994
  • Professor 2001-
  • Research fellow at the University of Cambridge (1979-1980) and l’Université de Bordeaux (1996)

Teaching

I currently teach the following courses:

  • Biological psychology, 15 higher education credits (Programme for Master of Science in Psychology)
  • Dissertation work, 30 higher education credits (Programme for Master of Science in Psychology)

Research interests

My research interests in the behavioural neurosciences are broad and have included, among other things, the following areas:

  • Neurocognitive profiling of patients with classic myotonic dystrophia type 1, Prader-Willi syndrome, questionable dementia or posttraumatic stress syndrome (see publications 1-4)
  • Executive function and emotional dysregulation in disinhibitory syndromes including drug abuse (see publications 5-7)
  • Incentive motivation and affiliative behaviour: interactions between the basal forebrain and steroid hormones (see publications 8-11)

Current research

Current interests concern primarily:

  • Associations between empathy, executive function and somatic markers (see publications 12-13)
  • Explicit/controlled and implicit/automatic attitudes as tapped by the Implicit Association Test

Selected publications

  1. Winblad, S., Lindberg, C., & Hansen, S. (2006). Cognitive deficits and CTG repeat expansion size in classical myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM-1). Behavioral and Brain Functions, 2, 1-6.
  2. Wigren, M. & Hansen, S. (2003). Rituals and compulsivity in Prader-Willi syndrome: Profile and stability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 47, 428-438.
  3. Nordlund, A., Rolstad, S., Klang, O., Lind, K., Hansen, S., & Wallin, A. (2007). Cognitive profiles of mild cognitive impairment with and without vascular disease. Neuropsychology, 21, 706-712.
  4. Koso, M. & Hansen, S. (2006). Executive function and memory in posttraumatic stress disorder: A study of Bosnian war veterans. European Psychiatry, 21, 167-173.
  5. Johansson, Å., Bergvall, Å.H., & Hansen, S. (1999). Behavioral disinhibition following basal forebrain excitotoxin lesions: Alcohol consumption, defensive aggression, impulsivity and serotonin levels. Behavioural Brain Research, 102, 17-29.
  6. Bergvall, Å.H., Wessely, H., Forsman, A., & Hansen, S. (2001). A deficit in attentional set-shifting of violent offenders. Psychological Medicine, 31, 1095-1105.
  7. Bergvall, Å.H., Hansen, S., Nilsson, T., & Forsman, A. (2003). Exploring the link between character, personality disorder, and neuropsychological function. European Psychiatry, 18, 334-344.
  8. Hansen, S., Stanfield, E.J., & Everitt, B.J. (1980). The role of ventral bundle noradrenergic neurones in sensory components of sexual behavior and coitus-induced pseudopregnancy. Nature, 286, 152-154.
  9. Hansen, S., Bergvall, Å.H., & Nyiredi, S. (1993). Interaction with pups enhances dopamine transmission in the ventral striatum of maternal rats: A microdialysis study. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 45, 673-676.
  10. Galligani, N., Renck, A., & Hansen, S. (1995). Personality profile of men using anabolic androgenic steroids. Hormones and Behavior, 30, 170-175.
  11. Ray, J., Hansen, S., & Waters, N. (2006). Links between temperamental dimensions and brain monoamines in the rat. Behavioral Neuroscience, 120, 85-92.
  12. von Horn, A., Bäckman, L., Davidsson, T., & Hansen, S. (2010). Empathy, systemizing and finger length ratio in a Swedish sample. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 31-37.
  13. Alwall, N., Johansson, D., & Hansen, S. (2010). The gender difference in gaze-cueing: Associations with empathizing and systemizing. Personality and Individual Differences, 49, 729-732.