Personal profile
Career
I am an experimental psychologists interested in learning, memory, psychopathology, fear, and anxiety. To investigate these topics, I mainly conduct laboratory studies using the classical conditioning paradigm and psychophysiological measures (such as skin conductance and the startle reflex).
I obtained a PhD in psychology in 2016 from Ghent University, Belgium. Thereafter, I was a post-doctoral researcher for three and a half years at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Currently, I am a tenure-track assistant professor here at Tilburg University.
For more information regarding my scientific work, you can visit my Google Scholar or ResearchGate profile.
For more frequent updates, you can also follow me on Twitter.
Current courses
Click here for my courses.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 15 Life on Land
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Contingency awareness and fear conditioning: A comprehensive examination of associated factors
Li, Y., Menger, N. S., Keil, A., Kosachenko, A. I., Mertens, G., Kotchoubey, B. & Pavlov, Y. G., Jun 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Experimental Psychology-Learning Memory and Cognition. 24 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Downloads (Pure) -
Fear generalization in individuals with subclinical symptoms of panic disorder
Krypotos, A. M., Mertens, G., Matziarli, D., Klugkist, I. & Engelhard, I. M., Jan 2025, In: Behaviour Research and Therapy. 184, 7 p., 104649.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure) -
Limited consensus on what climate anxiety is: Insights from content overlap analysis on 12 questionnaires
van Dijk, S., van Schie, K., Smeets, T. & Mertens, G., Jan 2025, In: Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 109, 11 p., 102957.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open AccessFile90 Downloads (Pure) -
Angst voor COVID-19: Risico’s en voordelen
Mertens, G., Novacek, D. M., McNally, R. J. & Engelhard, I. M., 2024, In: De Psycholoog. 59, 3, p. 30-36Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Downloads (Pure) -
Limited consensus on what climate anxiety is: Insights from content overlap analysis on 12 questionnaires
van Dijk, S., van Schie, K., Smeets, T. & Mertens, G., 1 Mar 2024, PsyArXiv Preprints, 35 p.Research output: Working paper › Other research output
Open Access
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Fear generalization in patients with Panic Disorder: A 5 clinic direct replication of Lissek et al. (2010)
Krypotos, A.-M. (Principal Investigator), Mertens, G. (Co-Investigator), van den Hout, M. (Co-Investigator), Klugkist, I. (Co-Investigator), Hagenaars, M. (Co-Investigator) & Engelhard, I. (Co-Investigator)
Project: Research project
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NWO corona fast-track data: "Tracking levels of fear for the coronavirus"
Mertens, G. (Principal Investigator)
15/04/20 → 15/10/20
Project: Research project
Press/Media
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Straatintimidatie: Een probleem van de samenleving
4/04/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Angst voor corona: Hoe beinvloedt de crisis ons welzijn
25/03/20
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Effecten van duale taken op negatieve autobiografische herinneringen
1/08/18
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Datasets
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Tracking fear levels for the coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mertens, G. (Creator), Duijndam, S. (Creator), Lodder, P. (Creator), Smeets, T. (Creator) & Roelands, S. (Creator), OSF, 2020
Dataset
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Psychological distress in the aftermath of the 2020 Petrinja earthquake, Croatia
Mertens, G. (Creator) & Dürrigl, M. (Creator), DataverseNL, 27 Mar 2024
DOI: 10.34894/uykjbv, https://dataverse.nl/citation?persistentId=doi:10.34894/UYKJBV
Dataset
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Boosting long-term effects of degraded memories via acute stress
van Schie, K. (Creator), Burghart, M. (Creator), Kang, S. (Creator), Mertens, G. (Creator) & Smeets, T. (Creator), OSF, 2022
Dataset
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Fear for the coronavirus - online study
Mertens, G. (Creator) & Duijndam, S. (Creator), OSF, 2020
DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/T5UVN, https://osf.io/t5uvn/
Dataset