NLM 2026: NONLINEAR METHODS FOR PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
This workshop provides a comprehensive theoretical foundation combined with practical training in R for some of the most popular and broadly applicable nonlinear analysis methods, tailored to their application in psychology and the social sciences. Specifically, we will focus on Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) and Fractal Analysis (FA).
RQA has wide applicability, allowing the investigation of quantitative and qualitative changes in time series, coupling properties between two or more systems, and multidimensional time series. FA can be used to explore fractal scaling relations and long-memory properties of time series.
In the psychological and social sciences, these methods are helpful for investigating systems with nonlinear time evolution, as they rely on relatively few assumptions about the data and enable the identification of complex temporal structures. They have proven particularly useful for analyzing time-series data from naturalistic settings and semi-experimental studies, as well as joint-action data to quantify group dynamics such as synchrony or coupling between individuals and leader-follower relationships.
Hands-on data analysis:
Every session includes practical exercises in RStudio, for which we will provide structured scripts and example data. At the end of each day, participants can further consolidate their skills by working on an experimental dataset at their own pace with guidance from the instructors. Participants are also encouraged to bring their own data to develop individual analysis pipelines and discuss them with the instructors. You are welcome to reach out to the instructors on any day of the workshop for guidance, and individual appointments may be arranged for the last workshop session.
Research examples:
The workshop will also feature brief talks by colleagues who apply nonlinear methods in their own research. Whenever possible, the corresponding preprints or publications will be provided in advance. Participants are encouraged to discuss methodological challenges, practical implementation issues, concerns and feedback from colleagues and reviewers, etc.
Poster session:
Participants are invited to present any ongoing project or project idea during the poster session. We strongly encourage this opportunity to discuss the application of nonlinear methods to your specific research interests in more detail with instructors, assistants and fellow participants. You can sign up for presenting a poster during the application process; instructions for poster preparation will be sent out after successful registration.
Social gatherings:
The NLM Workshop is intended not only as a methodological training event but also as a forum for academic exchange and networking. Two social gatherings will be organized to facilitate informal discussions and professional interaction among participants. Participation is voluntary, and costs are to be covered by the participants. You can register for the events on the first day of the workshop.
SCHEDULE
SCHEDULE
Monday, 9 March 2026
8:30 On-site registration
9:00 Welcome!
9:30 Why bother with nonlinear methods?
11:00 Recurrence Quantification Analysis I
12:30 LUNCH BREAK
13:30 Recurrence Quantification Analysis II
15:30 Working on data: Applying RQA
16:30 Research example for RQA
18:00 Social gathering
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
9:00 Cross-Recurrence Quantification Analysis I
11:00 Cross-Recurrence Quantification Analysis II
12:30 LUNCH BREAK
13:30 Cross-Recurrence Quantification Analysis III
15:30 Working on data: Applying CRQA
16:30 Research example for CRQA
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
9:00 Multidimensional Recurrence Quantification Analysis
11:00 Sample parameter estimation for recurrence-based analyses
12:30 LUNCH BREAK
13:30 Parameter exploration for recurrence-based analyses
15:30 Working on data: Parameter estimation
16:30 Research example for MdRQA
18:00 Social gathering
Thursday, 12 March 2026
9:00 Fractal Analysis I
11:00 Fractal Analysis II
12:30 LUNCH BREAK
13:30 Fractal Analysis III
15:30 Working on data: FA
16:30 Research example for FA
Friday, 13 March 2026
9:00 Poster Session
11:00 Wrap-up | Q&A | Individual Appointments
12:30 THE END
INSTRUCTORS AND TEACHING ASSISTANTS
Ralf Cox
Ralf is currently associate professor at the Developmental Psychology group in the Department of Psychology at the University of Groningen, Netherlands. He received his PhD in social sciences at the Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands, in 2007. His research addresses the coordinative basis of behavior, cognition and their development. This entails a micro-genetic and complex dynamical systems approach to intra- and interpersonal coordination, as well as the advancement of nonlinear time-series techniques to study this. He has published on motor performance, planning, language development, dyslexia, mother-child, client-therapist and peer interaction, and gesture-speech attunement.
Giuseppe Leonardi
During his doctorate in experimental psychology, which he completed in Trieste, Italy, Giuseppe studied applications of Dynamical Systems Theory in psychology and spent two years at the Center for Complex Systems at the Florida Atlantic University, USA. He specializes in dynamical analyses of naturalistic human interactions, with a focus on Recurrence Quantification Analysis. He is now dean of psychology studies at the University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw, Poland.
Dan Mønster
Originally trained as a physicist, Dan now directs the Cognition and Behavior Lab at Aarhus University, Denmark. There he is associate professor at the Department of Economics and Business Economics where he teaches mathematics, and is part of the Interacting Minds Centre. His research focuses on interpersonal dynamics in group cooperation, using both linear and nonlinear methods to analyze behavioral and physiological data from controlled experiments. Dan has contributed to algorithms for nonlinear analysis and R packages.
Sebastian Wallot
Since 2020, Sebastian is professor for general psychology and research methods at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany. He did his PhD in experimental psychology at the University of Cincinnati, USA, and worked afterwards as postdoctoral researcher at the Interacting Minds Centre at the Aarhus University, Denmark, and at the Department of Language and Literature at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt/M., Germany. His research focuses on reading, i.e., on the relation between reading process characteristics and comprehension, joint action, and the development of and application of nonlinear time-series analyses.
Moritz Bammel
Moritz has a background in cognitive science and is currently pursuing a PhD in psychology in Sebastian Wallot’s lab at Leuphana University. His research is grounded in ecological psychology, and thus Moritz likes to work with methods from dynamical systems theory that are suited to study the dynamics of cognition across the brain-body-environment system. In particular, he uses recurrence quantification analysis and fractal analysis to investigate how nonlinear eye and body movement dynamics are related to text comprehension.
Monika Tschense
Monika studied cognitive linguistics and speech and language therapy before completing her PhD in psychology in 2023 at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg and the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt am Main. Her research combines empirical and statistical approaches to investigate language processing, including the application of recurrence quantification analysis to eye movement data to explore how reading dynamics relate to comprehension. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher in Sebastian Wallot’s lab at Leuphana University.
Alon Tomashin
Alon studies social neuroscience through the lens of music at the Neuroscience of Perception and Action lab at the Italian Institute of Technology. His research explores the "backstage" of musical interaction: What are the neural mechanisms underlying joint music making? How could people with atypical social characteristics benefit from musical interaction? Additionally, in collaboration with Sebastian Wallot, he develops extensions to RQA designed to better capture the dynamics of social coordination.
REQUIREMENTS
REQUIREMENTS
No previous knowledge of the methods discussed in the workshop is required. However, basic knowledge of R and RStudio is necessary, i.e., load and save data, perform basic descriptive analyses (mean, sd) and visualizations (histogram, scatterplot and boxplot), and execute and modify scripts. If you are not familiar with R, we highly recommend working through a tutorial prior to the workshop (e.g., Douglas et al., 2024 or Long & Teetor, 2019 ).
Participants are expected to bring their own laptops equipped with current versions of R and RStudio.
APPLICATION, REGISTRATION AND COSTS
To participate in the workshop, applicants must complete the online application form by December 31, 2025. Participation in the NLM 2026 is limited to 25 participants; if the number of applications exceeds the available places, selection will be based on the submitted application.
During the application process, you will be asked to provide your personal information, indicate your level of experience with RStudio and statistical methods, and provide the following:
- a short CV (max. two pages, PDF format, up to 2 MB);
- a brief statement of motivation describing why you wish to participate and how you plan to apply nonlinear methods in your research (max. 1,500 characters).
Applications are open from November 15 to December 31, 2025. A link to the application form will then be provided here. Notifications of acceptance will be sent via email by January 15, 2026.
Upon acceptance, participants are required to confirm their registration by January 31, 2026. If confirmation is not received by this date, the place will be offered to applicants on the waiting list.
Participation in the NLM 2026 is free of charge. However, participants have to cover costs for travel, accommodation, food, etc. themselves.
LOCATION
LOCATION
Leuphana University of Lüneburg
Universitätsalle 1
21335 Lüneburg, Germany
Building: tba | Room: tba
The NLM 2026 is an on-site workshop hosted at Leuphana University of Lüneburg; virtual participation is neither intended nor provided for.
Please check in advance whether you require a visa to travel to Germany. Obtaining a visa is the sole responsibility of the participant. If you need an official invitation letter to support your visa application, please indicate this in the application form.