Dr. Silke M. Müller, M.Sc.

Scientific employee

Department of General Psychology: Cognition
Department of Human-Centered Computing and Cognitive Science
Faculty for Computer Science

University of Duisburg-Essen
Forsthausweg 2
47057 Duisburg
Germany

Phone: +49 203 379 - 2253
E-Mail: silke.m.mueller[at]uni-due.de
silke.m.mueller[at]cognition-ude.de

Office hours: by appointment
Room: LE 220

Google Scholar Profile

Publication list

Research focus

Decision Making 
Risky Internet Use
​Executive Functions

Scientific Degrees

2018                    

Dr. rer. nat., University Duisburg-Essen, Germany
Dissertation: Integrative and interactive mechanisms of decision making under objective risk : The processing of long-term consequences and approximate numbers (degree: “summa cum laude”)

2014 M.Sc. Applied Cognitive and Media Science (Major in Psychology), University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
2011 B.Sc. in Applied Cognitive and Media Science, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany

Professional Career

Since 2021                               Research assistant (PostDoc) in the DFG-funded research group "Affective and cognitive
mechanisms of specific Internet-use disorders" (FOR2974), Department of "General
Psychology: Cognition" (Prof. Matthias Brand), University of Duisburg-Essen
Since 2020 Research assistant (PostDoc) at the Department of "General Psychology: Cognition" (Prof.
Matthias Brand), University of Duisburg-Essen
2017 - 2020 Research assistant on grants from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in
Germany. Project: “EIDI” (Effective Information after Digital Identity theft), Department of
"General Psychology: Cognition" (Prof. Matthias Brand), University of Duisburg-Essen
2015 - 2017 Research assistant on grants from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in
Germany. Project: “ITS.APT” (IT-Security Awareness Penetration Testing), Department of
"General Psychology: Cognition" (Prof. Matthias Brand), University of Duisburg-Essen
2013 - 2014 Research assistant on grants from the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs in Germany. Project
“Designstudio NRW” (Design and test of new and multimodal mobility concepts), Department
of "General Psychology: Cognition" (Prof. Matthias Brand), University of Duisburg-Essen

Selected awards/ editorial boards/ scientific functions

2019                     Travel grant from the German Academic Exchange Service to attend the 6th International
Conference on Behavioral Addictions (ICBA) in Yokohama, Japan.
2017 Travel grant from the German Academic Exchange Service to attend the 26th Subjective
Probability, Utility, and Decision Making Conference (SPUDM) in Haifa, Israel.
2014 - 2015 Doctoral scholarship from the University of Duisburg-Essen.
2012 - 2013 Scholarship “NRW- und Deutschlandstipendien-Programm” awarded from the University of
Duisburg-Essen, monthly grant (for 12 months) from private sponsors (50%) and the Federal
Government (50%).
2011 - 2012 Scholarship “NRW- und Deutschlandstipendien-Programm” awarded from the University of
Duisburg-Essen, monthly grant (for 12 months) from private sponsors (50%) and the Federal
Government (50%).

Selected Teaching Experience

Since 2020          Supervision of "Research Projects in Cognitive Psychology" in the Master's program
"Applied Cognitive and Media Science", University of Duisburg-Essen
Since 2015 Operational supervision of theses in the Bachelor's and Master's degree program "Applied
Cognitive and Media Science", University of Duisburg-Essen

Reviewer Activities

Since 2018                     Addictive Behaviors, BMC Psychiatry, Frontiers in Psychology, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, Journal of Cognitive Psychology, Social Science Computer Review

Selected Publications

1. Antons, S., Müller, S. M., Neumann, P., Müller, A., & Steins-Loeber, S. (2023). Stimuli-Specific Inhibitory Control in Disorders Due to Addictive Behaviours: a Review of Current Evidence and Discussion of Methodological Challenges. Current Addiction Reportshttps://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-023-00517-z

2. Reyna, V. F., Müller, S. M. & Edelson, S. M. (2023). Critical tests of fuzzy trace theory in brain and behavior: uncertainty across time, probability, and development. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-022-01058-0

3. Müller, S. M., Wegmann, E., Oelker, A., Stark, R., Müller, A., Montag C., Wölfling, K., Rumpf, H.-J., & Brand, M. (2022). Assessment of Criteria for Specific Internet-use Disorders (ACSID-11): Introduction of a new screening instrument capturing ICD-11 criteria for gaming disorder and other potential Internet-use disorders. Journal of Behavioral Addictions11(2), 427-450. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2022.00013

4. Müller, S. M., Liebherr, M., Wegmann, E., & Brand, M. (2021). Decision Making – a Neuropsychological Perspective. In S. Della Sala (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Behavioral Neuroscience, 2nd edition (pp. 396-403). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819641-0.00132-8

5. Müller, S. M., Schiebener, J., Brand, M., & Liebherr, M. (2021). Decision making, cognitive functions, impulsivity, and media multitasking expectancies in high versus low media multitaskers. Cognitive Processing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-021-01029-2

6. Müller, S. M., Stolze, D., & Brand, M. (2021). Predictors of social-zapping behavior: Dark Triad, impulsivity, and procrastination facets contribute to the tendency toward last-minute cancellations. Personality and Individual Differences, 168, Article 110334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110334

7. Müller, S. M., Wegmann, E., García Arias, M., Bernabéu Brotóns, E., Marchena Giráldez, C., & Brand, M. (2021). Deficits in executive functions but not in decision making under risk in individuals with problematic social-network use. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 106, Article 152228, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2021.152228

8. Antons, S., Müller, S. M., Liebherr, M., & Brand, M. (2020). Gaming disorder: How to translate behavioral neuroscience into public health advances. Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports, 7, 267–277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-020-00216-3

9. Lescher, M., Wegmann, E., Müller, S. M., Laskowski, N. M., Wunder, R., Jiménez-Murcia, S., Szycik, G. R., de Zwaan, M., & Müller, A. (2020). A randomized study of food pictures-influenced decision-making under ambiguity in individuals with morbid obesity. Frontiers in Psychiatry: Psychosomatic Medicine, 11, Article 822. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00822

10. Müller, S. M., Wegmann, E., Stolze, D., & Brand, M. (2020). Maximizing social outcomes? Social zapping and fear of missing out mediate the effects of maximization and procrastination on problematic social networks use. Computers in Human Behavior, 107, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106296

11. Schäfer, L., Schmidt, R., Müller, S. M., Dietrich, A., & Hilbert, A. (2020). The Cards and Lottery Task: Validation of a new paradigm assessing decision making under risk in individuals with severe obesity. Frontiers in Psychiatry: Psychosomatic Medicine, 11:690, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00690

12. Singh, V., Schiebener, J., Müller, S. M., Liebherr, M., Brand, M., & Buelow, M. (2020). Country and sex differences in decision making under uncertainty and risk. Frontiers in Psychology: Decision Neuroscience, 11, Article 486. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00486

13. Wegmann, E., Müller, S. M., Turel, O., & Brand, M. (2020). Interactions of impulsivity, general executive functions, and specific inhibitory control explain symptoms of social-networks-use disorder: An experimental study. Scientific Reports, 10, Article 3866. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-60819-4

14. Antons, S., Mueller, S. M., Wegmann, E., Trotzke, P., Schulte, M. M., & Brand, M. (2019). Facets of impulsivity and related aspects differentiate among recreational and unregulated use of Internet-pornography. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 8(2), 223-233. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.8.2019.22

15. Mueller, S. M., García Arias, M., Mejuto Vázquez, G., Schiebener, J., Brand, M., & Wegmann, E. (2019). Decision support in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 41(5), 484-496. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2019.1585517

16. Wegmann, E., Müller, S. M., Ostendorf, S., & Brand, M. (2018). Highlighting Internet-communication disorder as further Internet-use disorder when considering neuroimaging studies. Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports, 5(4), 295-301. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-018-0164-7

17. Mueller, S. M. & Brand, M. (2018). Approximate number processing skills contribute to decision making under objective risk: Interactions with executive functions and objective numeracy. Frontiers in Psychology: Cognition, 9(1202), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01202

18. Mueller, S. M., Schiebener, J., Delazer, M., & Brand, M. (2018). Risk approximation in decision making: Approximative numeric abilities predict advantageous decisions under objective risk. Cognitive Processing. 19(3), 297-315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-018-0854-9

19. Mueller, S. M., Schiebener, J., Stöckigt, G., & Brand, M. (2017). Short- and long-term consequences in decision-making under risk: immediate feedback about long-term prospects benefits people tending to impulsive processing. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 29(2), 217-239. https://doi.org/10.1080/20445911.2016.1245660