Information for Students

Master and Bachelor Theses 2025/2026

Dear students,

on 22 May 2025, we presented the topics for the Master's theses. The Bachelor's theses cover the same topics. You can find our summary here. 

From this year onwards, applications for the Master's theses are no longer necessary. The assignments are made in a similar way to the assignments for the Bachelor's theses, i.e. based on the priorities you specify and the places available.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Project KOSMO

Topic/question
The work focuses on cognitive, linguistic, social-emotional and motor development during the first year of life.

• Are there correlations between early developmental competences (at the age of 4-6 months) and development towards the end of the first year of life (at the age of 9-12 months)?

To Do
Data from children aged 4 to 6 months have already been collected using an online questionnaire.

• Testing of infants aged 9-12 months (e.g. tasks and questionnaires on fine motor skills, gross motor skills, language, spatial cognition, visual prediction)
• Evaluation of the online questionnaires, carrying out and analysing tests

Number
Several Bachelor's/Master's theses (approx. 2/2)

Start date
Autumn 2025

Supervisors
Dr Julia Dillmann, MSc Tharanirakshita Asokan

Project SPECIAL FEET

Topic/Question
Congenital clubfoot is a congenital foot deformity with severe inward rotation of the foot, which is corrected by prompt treatment after birth with casts and orthoses (Ponseti method).

• How does the motor, linguistic and cognitive development of children with congenital clubfoot at kindergarten/primary school age progress?
• Are there differences in motor development depending on how the child was treated in infancy?

To Do
Data on the motor, cognitive and linguistic development of affected infants and toddlers are already available.

•     Independent creation of (online) questionnaires, recruitment and evaluation of the questionnaires.

Number
Several Bachelor's/Master's theses (approx. 2/2)

Start date
variable

Supervisor
Dr Julia Dillmann

Project CONTEXT AND PREDICTIVE ACTION

Topic/Question
This study investigates the influence of context on predictive action planning in 3- to 6-year-old children. Children were given different tasks, including a table setting task, in two different settings (bathroom vs. kitchen).

• Does the context (bathroom vs. kitchen) influence action planning?
• Do individual objects (stimuli) influence action planning?
• Are there differences in action planning between different age groups?

To Do
Data from 80 children aged 3 and 6 years have already been collected using a motion capture system (VICON).

• Evaluation of various movement parameters (speeds, movement units, etc.), latencies, final position of objects (rotation)

Number
1-2 master theses

Start date
variable

Supervisor
M.Sc. Anjuscha Lüthgen

Project MUSIC AND COGNITION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

Topic/Question
The project investigates the influence of early musical training on cognitive development.
Requirements: Basic knowledge of music theory, reading music, etc.

• Development of tasks for recognising melodies and rhythms

To Do

• Produce and test appropriate melody and rhythm tasks for early childhood (infancy and toddlerhood)

Number
Several Bachelor's/Master's theses

Start date
Autumn 2025

Supervisor
Prof. Dr. Gudrun Schwarzer and PhD student in the project

Project END-STATE COMFORT IN A SOCIAL CONTEXT

Topic/question
Adults provide themselves and others a comfortable starting position when handing over objects (Gonzalez, Studenka, Glazebrook & Lyons, 2011).

• Do 5- to 7-year-old children consider the comfort of another person when handing them a tool?
• What role does the context or other factors play?

To Do

• Recruitment of kindergartens, survey in kindergarten, evaluation of data

Number
2 master theses

Start date
Autumn 2025

Supervisor
Prof. Dr. Bianca Jovanovic