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Dr. Felix Johannes Götz

Background

After studying psychology and history in Würzburg and Salamanca, Felix Johannes Götz completed his PhD in 2019 at the University of Würzburg with a dissertation on Social Cueing of Numerical Magnitude (supervised by Fritz Strack and Andreas Eder). During his PhD, he spent a research stay at the Social Mind and Body Group at Central European University (CEU) in Budapest (Natalie Sebanz and Günther Knoblich). Following the completion of his PhD, he has been working as a postdoctoral researcher with Gesine Dreisbach at the University of Regensburg, with interruptions for two periods of parental leave (2022, 2024). In 2022, he was a visiting researcher at the Centre for Interacting Minds at Aarhus University (hosted by Cordula Vesper).

His research focuses on fundamental questions in social and cognitive psychology, particularly in the areas of joint action (especially leader–follower dyads), action control, and conflict processing. His research agenda aims to explain phenomena of social compliance – most notably obedience to authority – based on these (social-)cognitive mechanisms. In teaching, he offers seminars and project-based classes in experimental psychology and human–machine interaction.

Selected Publications

  • Götz, F.J. & Dreisbach, G. (2025). How a co-actor’s (Un-) reliability modulates goal selection in a novel joint goal-setting paradigm. Psychological Research, 89(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-024-02056-2   
  • Krishna, A.* & Götz, F. J.* (2024). Motor Coordination Induces Social Identity – A Novel Paradigm for the Investigation of the Group Performance-Identity Link. British Journal of Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12757   *shared first authors.
  • Götz, F. J., Mitschke, V., & Eder, A. B. (2023). Conflict experience and resolution underlying obedience to authority. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 11161. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38067-z

Dr. Felix Johannes Götz

Akademischer Rat auf Zeit

Academic career

Education

  • 2019, PhD in Psychology, University of Würzburg (DE)
  • 2013, Diploma in Psychology, University of Würzburg (DE)
  • 2011, Intern, Galicia Jewish Museum, Kraków (PL)
  • 2010/2011, Exchange student, University of Salamanca (ES)

Employment history

  • 2019-present, PostDoc Researcher, Department of Experimental Psychology (Cognitive Control Lab, Prof. Gesine Dreisbach), University of Regensburg (DE)
  • 08/2022-09/2022, Research stay at the Interacting Minds Centre (Prof. Cordula Vesper), Aarhus University (DK)
  • 2015-2019, Research Associate, Department of General Psychology II (Motivation and Emotion in Action Lab, Prof. Andreas Eder), University of Würzburg (DE)
  • 10/2016-12/2016, Research stay at the Department of Cognitive Science (Social Mind and Body Group, Prof. Natalie Sebanz & Prof. Günther Knoblich), Central European University (CEU), Budapest (HU)
  • 2013-2015, Research Associate, Department of Social Psychology (Social Cognition Lab, Prof. Fritz Strack), University of Würzburg (DE)

Parental leave

  • 2024/2025, seven months (*2024, second child)
  • 2022/2023, seven months (*2022, first child)

External Funding and Awards

  • 2026, TeaP Selected Poster Award
  • 2025/2026, EASP Grant for the small-group meeting "Obedience to Authority: Milgram's Legacy and Emerging Directions" in Regensburg (September 09-11, 2026).
  • 2020-2025, DFG Scientific Network "The many faces of conflict - Towards an integrative framework for conflict regulation" (Network Member, Principal Investigators: David Dignath & Daniela Becker, Project number 454468927).
  • 2018-2019, Collaborator at two Workshops on "Charismatic Authority" at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) of the University of Bielefeld (Germany), co-funded by the DFG (Principal Investigators: Cordula Vesper & Adrian Hermann).
    • 2018, "Charismatic Authority: Exploring Religion and Embodied Social Interaction in Cognitive and Cultural Studies."
    • 2019, "Measuring Charismatic Expression: Towards an Integrated Perspective from Cultural and Cognitive Studies."
  • 2015-2018, PhD fellowship ("Begabtenförderung") jointly supported by a German political foundation and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Main research areas

  • Social Cognition and Psychology, Cognitive Psychology (Action Control), Experimental Psychology.
  • More precisely: Asymmetric Joint Action, Conflict Processing and Cognitive Control, Social Identification, Obedience (to Authority).

Publications

Peer-reviewed articles

  • Götz, F.J. & Dreisbach, G. (2025). How a co-actor’s (Un-) reliability modulates goal selection in a novel joint goal-setting paradigm. Psychological Research, 89(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-024-02056-2   
  • Becker, D., Bijleveld, E., Braem, S. , Fröber, K., Götz, F. J., Kleiman, T., Körner, A., Pfister, R., Reiter, A. M. F., Saunders, B., Schneider, I. K. Soutschek, A., van Steenbergen, H., & Dignath, D. (2024). An integrative framework of conflict and control. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 28(8), 757–768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2024.07.002  
  • Krishna, A.* & Götz, F. J.* (2024). Motor Coordination Induces Social Identity – A Novel Paradigm for the Investigation of the Group Performance-Identity Link. British Journal of Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12757   *shared first authors.
  • Körner, A., Götz, F. J., & Krishna, A. (2023). Free to see the Big Picture: Autonomy Increases Abstractness of Action Identification. Collabra: Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.88165
  • Götz, F. J., Mitschke, V., & Eder, A. B. (2023). Conflict experience and resolution underlying obedience to authority. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 11161. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38067-z
  • Götz, F. J., Böckler, A., Eder, A. B. (2020). Low numbers from a low head? Effects of observed head orientation on numerical cognition. Psychological Research, 84, 2361-2374. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-019-01221-2

Books and book chapters

  • Götz, F. J., & Rennert, J. (in press). Die Psychologie des Gehorsams: Von autoritärer Persönlichkeit zu widerwilliger Kooperation [Psychology of Obedience: From Authoritarian Personality to Reluctant Cooperation]. In D. Burkard & S. Pongratz (Eds.), Proceedings of the conference Refused Obedience in Religious Discourses. Focuses from the Middle Ages to the Present (Würzburg: [Publisher]).

Academic qualification theses

Other

  • Fröber, K., Abel, M., Bäuml, K.-H., Dreisbach, G., Kliegl, O., Köster, M., Lingnau, A., Volberg, G., & Götz, F. J. (eds.). (2024). Abstracts of the 66th TeaP. [Conference object] TeaP Conference 2024, Regensburg, Germany.
  • Fröber, K., Abel, M., Bäuml, K.-H., Dreisbach, G., Kliegl, O., Köster, M., Lingnau, A., Volberg, G., & Götz, F. J. (2024). Program of the 66th TeaP. [Conference object] TeaP Conference 2024, Regensburg, Germany. https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.15180

Conference contributions (first authorship only)

  • Götz, F. J. & Dreisbach, G. (2026). Conflict processing in asymmetric joint action: Co-Actor triggered response conflicts are amplified by free choice. Poster presented at “68th Conference of Experimental Psychologists (TeaP)”, Tübingen (DE). [poster]

  • Götz, F. J. & Dreisbach, G. (2025). Interacting with a Human But Not the Computer Motivates Conflict Adaptation in Interindividual Response Conflicts. Poster presented at “10th Joint Action Meeting (JAM)", Torino (IT). [poster]

  • Götz, F. J. & Dreisbach, G. (2025). No Evidence for a Link Between Self-Prioritization and Cognitive Control in Perceptual Matching Judgments. Poster presented at “67th Conference of Experimental Psychologists (TeaP)”, Frankfurt (DE). [poster]

  • Götz, F. J. & Dreisbach, G. (2024). Interacting with a Human But Not the Computer Motivates Conflict Adaptation in Interindividual Response Conflicts. Poster presented at “66th Conference of Experimental Psychologists (TeaP)”, Regensburg (DE). [poster]

  • Götz, F. J. & Dreisbach, G. (2023). Interacting with a Human But Not the Computer Motivates Conflict Adaptation in Interindividual Response Conflicts. Poster presented at “9th Joint Action Meeting (JAM)", Budapest (HU). [poster]

  • Götz, F. J. & Dreisbach, G. (2023). Follower's Reliability Modulates Leader's Goal Persistence in a Novel Joint Goal-Setting Paradigm. Poster presented at “9th Joint Action Meeting (JAM)", Budapest (HU). [poster]

  • Götz, F. J. & Dreisbach, G. (2023). Follow My Lead! Modulation of Goal Persistence by a Co-Actor's Reliability in a Joint Goal-Setting Paradigm. Talk given at “65th Conference of Experimental Psychologists (TeaP)”, Trier (DE). [talk]

  • Götz, F. J., Fröber, K., & Dreisbach, G. (2022). Follow My Lead! Influence of Follower's Reliability on Leader's Goal Persistence in a Joint Goal-Setting Paradigm. Poster presented at “64th Conference of Experimental Psychologists (TeaP)”, Cologne (DE). [poster]

  • Götz, F. J., & Dreisbach, G. (2021). Follow you or follow me? A novel paradigm to study interindividual response conflicts. Talk given at “63rd Conference of Experimental Psychologists (TeaP)”, Ulm (DE). [talk]

  • Götz, F. J., & Krishna, A. (2020). Motor Coordination Induces Social Identification: An Exploration into the link between Joint Action and Group Perception. Talk given at “62nd Conference of Experimental Psychologists (TeaP)”, Jena (DE). [talk]

  • Götz, F. J., & Eder, A. B. (2019). Free will vs. obedience: Establishing a new experimental paradigm for the study of Milgram-style Effects. Talk given at “17th Conference of the Social Psychology Section (FGSP)”, Cologne (DE). [talk]

  • Götz, F. J., & Eder, A. B. (2019). Adaption of a bug-killing paradigm for the study of obedience to authority. Poster presented at “8th Joint Action Meeting (JAM)”, Genova (IT). [poster]

  • Götz, F. J., & Eder, A. B. (2019). Obedience vs. free will: Adaption of a bug-killing paradigm for the study of obedience to authority. Talk given at “61st Conference of Experimental Psychologists (TeaP)”, London (GB). [talk]

  • Götz, F. J., Böckler, A& Eder, A. B. (2018). Head Cueing of Numerical Cognition. Talk given at “20th ESCON Conference”, Cologne (DE). [talk]

  • Götz, F. J., Böckler, A., Heineck, P. M., & Eder, A. B. (2018). Effects of vertical head orientation on spatial attention. Talk given at “60th Conference of Experimental Psychologists (TeaP)”, Marburg (DE). [talk]

  • Goetz, F. J., Körner, A., & Vesper, C. (2017). Producing music vs. pressing keys together - representing joint action goals. Poster presented at “7th Joint Action Meeting (JAM)”, London (GB). [poster]

  • Goetz, F. J., Körner, A., Förster, G., & Strack, S. (2017). Autonomy and Level of Action Identification. Talk given at “59th Conference of Experimental Psychologists (TeaP)”, Dresden (DE). [talk]

  • Goetz, F. J., Eder, A. B., Böckler, A., & Strack, F. (2016). Face cueing effects in a personalized anchoring paradigm. Talk given at “50th Congress of the German Psychological Society (DGPs)”, Leipzig (DE). [talk]

  • Goetz, F. J., Eder, A. B., Strack, F., Böckler, A., & Heineck, P. M. (2016). Face cueing effects in a personalized anchoring paradigm?. Talk given at “58th Conference of Experimental Psychologists (TeaP)”, Heidelberg (DE). [talk]

  • Goetz, F. J. (2015). Big Brother is Watching Me – Mechanisms and Functions of Intimidation. Talk given at “12th PhD Workshop of the German Psychological Society’s (DGps) Social Psychology Section”, Münster (DE).
    [talk]

  • Goetz, F. J., & Markel, P. (2014). Hide or Seek! A regulatory focus approach to the behavioral consequences of institutional intimidation. Poster presented at “17th EASP General Meeting”, Amsterdam (NL). [poster]
  • Goetz, F. J., & Markel, P. (2014). Hide or Seek! A regulatory focus approach to the behavioral consequences of institutional intimidation. Poster presented at “56th Conference of Experimental Psychologists (TeaP)”, Gießen (DE). [poster]

Guest lectures

  • Götz, F. J. (2025). Follow you or me? Response Conflicts Loom Larger when Triggered by a Human than a Computer Co-Actor. Talk presented at the Joint Cognitive Control Colloquium of the Universities of Greifswald and Regensburg (Rico Fischer & Gesine Dreisbach), Greifswald/Regensburg (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2025). Follow you or me? Response Conflicts Loom Larger when Triggered by a Human than a Computer Co-Actor. Talk presented at the Cognitive Control Colloquium of Washington University in St- Louis (Julie Bugg & Wouter Kool), St. Louis, Missouri (US).
  • Götz, F. J. (2025). Psychologie des Gehorsams: Von autoritärer Persönlichkeit zu widerwilliger Kooperation [Psychology of Obedience: From Authoritarian Personality to Reluctant Cooperation]. Talk presented at the interdisciplinary conference Refused Obedience in Religious Discourses. Focuses from the Middle Ages to the Present (organized by Dominik Burkard), Würzburg (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2024). No Evidence for a Link Between Self-Prioritization and Cognitive Control in Perceptual Matching Judgments. Talk presented at the Joint Cognitive Control Colloquium of the Universities of Greifswald and Regensburg (Rico Fischer & Gesine Dreisbach), Greifswald/Regensburg (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2024). How a Co-Actor's (Un)Reliability Modulates Goal Selection in a Novel Joint Goal-Setting Paradigm. Talk presented at the Joint Cognitive Control Colloquium of the Universities of Greifswald and Regensburg (Rico Fischer & Gesine Dreisbach), Greifswald/Regensburg (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2023). Modulating Effects of Reward and Punishment on Conflict Management in interindiviudal Response Conflicts. Talk presented at the Joint Cognitive Control Colloquium of the Universities of Greifswald and Regensburg (Rico Fischer & Gesine Dreisbach), Greifswald/Regensburg (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2023). Action Control Implications of Asymmetries in Joint Action. Talk presented at the Social Cognition Colloquium of the University of Würzburg (Roland Deutsch, Andreas Eder, & Fritz Strack), Würzburg (DE).
  • Fröber, K.* & Götz, F. J.* (2022). The Regensburg Solution. Talk presented at the 2nd Joint Conflict Network Meeting at the University of Tübingen (organized by David Dignath & Daniela Becker), Tübingen (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2022). Driven by intention or stimulus? The forces that drive leaders vs. followers in cooperative actions. Talk presented at the Interacting Minds Centre (IMC) Tuesday Seminar at Aarhus University (Cordula Vesper & Joshua C. Skewes), Aarhus (DK).
  • Götz, F. J. (2022). The List-Wide Proportion Congruency Effect (LWPCE) in Interindividual Response Conflicts. Talk presented at the Joint Cognitive Control Colloquium of the Universities of Greifswald and Regensburg (Rico Fischer & Gesine Dreisbach), Greifswald/Regensburg (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2021). Two Projects on Interindividual Conflicts and their Modification in the Context of Asymmetrical Joint Actions. Talk presented at the Joint Conflict Network Kickoff Meeting at the University of Tübingen (organized by David Dignath & Daniela Becker), Tübingen (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2021). Follow You, Follow Me? A Novel Paradigm to Study Interindividual Response Conflicts. Talk presented at the Joint Cognitive Control Colloquium of the Universities of Greifswald and Regensburg (Rico Fischer & Gesine Dreisbach), Greifswald/Regensburg (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2021). Follow You, Follow Me? A Novel Paradigm to Study Interindividual Response Conflicts in the Lab and Online. Talk presented at the Action Control Colloquium at Eberhard-Karls-Universität (David Dignath), Tübingen (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2019). Measuring Social Interaction in the Context of Charismatic Authority. Talk presented at Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) (organized by Cordula Vesper & Adrian Hermann), University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2019). Social Cueing of Numerical Magnitude. Talk presented at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität (David Dignath), Freiburg im Breisgau (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2018). Under the Spell of Authority: Adaption of a Bug-Killing Paradigm for the Study of Obedience to Authority. Talk presented at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) (organized by Adrian Hermann & Cordula Vesper), University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2017). Effects of Social Cueing on Number Processing. Talk presented at University of Potsdam (Martin Fischer), Potsdam (DE).
  • Götz, F. J. (2016). Autonomy, level of action identification and asymmetric joint action. Talk presented at Central European University (CEU) (Natalie Sebanz & Günther Knoblich), Budapest (HU).

Teaching

B.Sc. Psychology (German language only)

  • Winter semester: Human–Machine Interaction I: Stimulus–Response Compatibility
  • Winter semester: Experimental Psychology Internship Seminar (Expra) I
  • Summer semester: Human–Machine Interaction II: Human Factors
  • Summer semester: Experimental Psychology Internship Seminar (Expra) II

M.Sc. Psychological Science (German language only)

  • If required or supporting: research internship seminar (Fopra)

Supervision of theses (German & English language)

  • Bachelor's theses / Bachelor theses
  • Master theses / Master theses
  • Internships (as part of the BSc and MSc programmes in psychology) / internships
Topics
  • Cognitive Control in the context of Socially Triggered Response Conflicts, i.e. conflicts between co-actors in the "Relay-race"/"Card-flipping" Joint Action Paradigm (e.g., Congruency Sequence Effect, Proportion Congruency Effect, Reward Modulations) [majority of BSc/MSc theses and Expra/Fopra projects]
  • Exploration of potential links between Self-Prioritisation and Conflict Management in Perceptual Matching Judgments [BSc theses]
  • Sociomotor Action Control in the Joint Goal-Setting Paradigm [BSc/MSc theses]
  • Automaticity of Number Processing in the Gestalt-SNARC paradigm [BSc theses]

Further information on the supervision of theses can be found here.

Memberships and commitment

Memberships

  • European Association of Social Psychology (EASP)
  • German Psychological Society (DGPs)

Research profile

Peer review activities

  • American Psychologist
  • Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioural Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Processing
  • European Journal of Social Psychology
  • Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
  • PLOS ONE
  • Psychological Research

Media coverage and outreach

Social media

I am active on X (external link, opens in a new window) (external link, opens in a new window) (@FelixJGoetz) and researchgate (external link, opens in a new window) (external link, opens in a new window) (Felix J. Götz).

Some of my work has been featured in the media and on podcasts (mostly in German). Here are a few examples.

Radio and television interviews

Mentions in podcasts

Media coverage

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