Larissa Walter
Educational Training
June 2021 – Present
University of Freiburg, Germany
- PhD Candidate at Freiburg Instit for Basci Income Studies
- Staff activities: Responsible for experimental and empirical data analysis support
- Supervision: Prof. Dr. Andrea Kiesel, PD. Dr. Roland Thomaschke
April 2021 – Present
Systemic Institute (SI) for Education and Training at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Germany
- Psychotherapist in Training
2017-2020
University of Freiburg, Germany
- Master of Science in Psychology at the University of FreiburgThesis: Writable Wall: Impact of a workspace element on organizational and corporate aspects of a team“
2014-2017
University of Freiburg, Germany
- B.Sc. Psychology
- Thesis: Intertrial effects in visual searches for memory target stimuli: Investigation of the influence of anger on attention processes in pop-out searches
Relevant Academic and Research Experiences
October 2019 – June 2021
Research Assistant in the STAV Project Baden-Württemberg in Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Germany
- conceptualization and implementation of user experience measures
- organization of advertising measures, print media, and SEO
Oktober 2024 – present
“Ambulante Tätigkeit” (aT) at Systemic Institute (SI) for Education and Training at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Germany
- psychotherapeutic sessions in individual and multi-person settings including
- diagnostics and documentation
May 2022 – May 2023
“Praktische Tätigkeit” (PT1) at Rehaklinik Kandertal, Malsburg-Marzell, Germany
- non topic-specific and topic-specific group psychotherapeutic sessions
November 2021 – April 2022
“Praktische Tätigkeit” (PT2) at cts Clinic Stöckenhöfe
- non topic-specific and topic-specific group psychotherapeutic sessions
- individual psychotherapeutic sessions for neurology, orthopedics, and
- psychosomatic patients
Advanced Research Training
2023
- FRIBIS Summer School 2023 Part 2/3 – Social Contract Lab Experiments, University of Freiburg, Germany
- FRIBIS Winter School with Philippe van Parijs – Today’s global challenges and the UBI debate, University of Freiburg, Germany
Effects of different types of reward on cognitive control processes
In my PhD project, I am investigating the influence of different forms of rewards, including performance-independent rewards, on cognitive control processes. This research is conducted within the framework of my position at the Freiburg Institute for Basic Income Studies. One additional aspect of this work is to consider non-contingent reward as a proxy for an unconditional basic income (UBI). To explore these effects empirically, I work within the paradigm of self-organized task switching, which, in addition to performance measures, also takes into account voluntary task choice. This approach allows for a more comprehensive understanding of how reward mechanisms influence both cognitive control and decision-making processes.
2025
- Walter, L., Voormann, A., Monno, I., & Kiesel, A. (2025). Are we better in multitasking, when we are rewarded non-contingently on performance? Effect of non-contingent reward on task performance and task choice within the self-organized task-switching paradigm. [Manuscript in preparation]. Freiburg Institute for Basic Income Studies, University of Freiburg.
- Walter, L. & Kiesel, A. (2025) Systematic Review about effects of Non-contingent Rewards as Proxy for Basic income in Comparison to no Reward and Contingent Reward on Cognitive Control. [Manuscript in preparation]. Freiburg Institute for Basic Income Studies, University of Freiburg.
2024
- Mendonca, H., Kuang, L., März, S., & Walter, L. (2024). Policy paper-FRIBIS summer school: First draft of a social contracting experiment with the research question: Does voluntary social cooperation within a task promote liberal egalitarian justice. Freiburg Institute for Basic Income Studies. FRIBIS policy debate.
2023
- Leopold, F., Blum, B., & Walter, L. (2023). Policy paper-FRIBIS winter school: Tax-financed basic income: Comparison between three financing schemes and their normative implications. Freiburg Institute for Basic Income Studies. FRIBIS policy debate.
Walter, L., Monno, I., Voormann, A., & Kiesel, A. (2024, November 21-24). Impact of non-contingent and contingent reward on task choice and performance in self-organized task switching [Talk]. Psychonomic Society’s 65th Annual Meeting, New York City, New York, USA.
Walter, L., Monno, I., Voormann, A., & Kiesel, A. (2024 August, 29-31). Can cognitive psychology contribute to the discourse on basic income? Integrating basic income and cognitive control research through laboratory methodology [Talk]. 23rd BIEN Congress, Bath, United Kingdom.
Walter, L., Monno, I., & Kiesel, A. (2024, March 17-20). Influence of non-contingent reward as a proxy for UBI on task switching in a self-organized task switching experiment [Poster]. 66th Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen, Regensburg, Germany.
Walter, L., & Reuter, L. (2022, September 10-12). Cognitive affective maps (CAMs) – What are CAMs and how can they be used in the UBI research and movement [Workshop]. Annual FRIBIS Conference 2022, Freiburg, Germany
Summer semester 2025
- Supervision of three bachelor theses (B.Sc. Psychology)
Winter semester 2024/25
- Research-oriented internship (Small-group supervision, B.Sc. Psychology)
Summer semester 2024
- Supervision of three bachelor theses (B.Sc. Psychology)
Winter semester 2023/24
- Research-oriented internship (Small-group supervision, B.Sc. Psychology)
- Scientific Concepts and Methods (Seminar, B.Sc. Psychology)
If you are interested in writing your thesis on one of the above mentioned research areas, please do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail.