Hemispheric Asymmetries

Abstract

First, and most of all, I wish to thank Dr Markus Hausmann. Throughout the entire PhD process he provided me with help and support; a lot of his time; inspiration; freedom to pursue my own ideas; constructive critical comments; and encouragement at key times. These are just a few things that made him invaluable. He is a role model for me as a researcher and supervisor and I hope that we will continue to work together in the future. And may the force be with you! I would further like to thank Prof Onur Gunturkun, who sparked my interest in the fascinating field of biopsychology and provided the initial idea for this thesis. I thank Prof Charles Heywood for his most appreciated comments on the final version of the manuscript and my paper co-authors Jonas Rose, Dr Stuart Leask, Sebastian Ocklenburg and Daniel Schneider for their suggestions and collaboration. My parents, Anne and Ingo Hirnstein, deserve my deepest gratitude as without their unconditional encouragement and support, this thesis would not have been possible. My thanks also include Klaudia and Herbert Gunther and Ruth Hirnstein. Moreover, I thank my friends who helped me through all the inevitable scientific (and less scientific) lows during my PhD, particularly Christian Budis, Dr Federico Bursgens, Marcel Plexnies, and Irina Kramer. Last but not least, special thanks go to Dr Ulrike Bayer. Doing a PhD with you by my side was both a privilege and pleasure. I am proud to be your colleague and friend. Diese Doktorarbeit widme ich meinem GrolSvater Fritz Hirnstein, der kaum Englisch kann, aber in diesem Moment sicher von irgendwo da oben herunterschaut und ein wenig lachelt.