About

Zoltan Vass is Professor of Psychology with habilitation at Institute of Psychology, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Budapest, Hungary. He is the Head of the Department of General Psychology and Methodology, and Head of the Faculty of the Psychology of Visual Expression.

Research. His main scientific achievement is an artificial intelligence-based model of cognition, operationalized in the "Seven-Step Configuration Analysis (SSCA)". It is a system analysis approach to cognitive representation and inference strategies of psychological thinking in psychodiagnostics. Results were published in a total of 423 publications in seven languages (23 books, 19 chapters, 36 journal articles, 4 expert systems), referenced by 536 independent citations (h-index of 12). Recent results were summarised in a 928-page English handbook (A psychological interpretation of drawings and paintings. The SSCA method: A systems analysis approach). The SSCA awarded a Publication Award of Institute for Psychology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and an Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize, besides 29 pre- and postdoctoral grants. On SSCA, 7 symposia were organized. The new method has led to the establishment of three accredited clinical trainings and a postgraduate faculty (Psychology of Visual Expression, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church, Budapest), with a total of 1622 participants. It is taught or referenced in 152 courses in Hungary, Transsylvania, Germany, France, Russia, China, USA, Israel etc.

Teaching. Diamond Prize (2009) and Teaching Award (2010) of the Institute of Psychology, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary. Moussong-Kovács Erzsébet Prize (2013) of the Hungarian Psychiatric Association. He was the first who introduced a course of classic projective drawing tests at the university level in Hungary (1996). Establishment of a faculty of art therapy assessment in Hungary (2008). Invited lectures in several universities in English, German, French. Methodological innovations in teaching. University textbooks of the psychology of visual expression. Establishment of 4 accredited clinical programmes, 34 new courses in psychology, art therapy and assessement, 46 published and cited educational materials. Organization of 29 conferences and symposia. A total of 211 scientific presentations at conferences, 87 invited lectures. He established and leads the Research Group on the Psychology of Visual Expression that produced 1122 scientific publications (52 journal articles, 15 books and chapters, 249 presentations in conferences) and 32 psychiatric expositions. 

Other positions. Board Member of the  Société Internationale de Psychopathologie de l'Expression et d'Art-Thérapie, former Editor-in-Chief of Confinia Psychopathologica, Member of Comité de lecture international of Revue Cliniques, Editor of Studia Casuistica, Editor of Psychologia Hungarica Caroliensis, President of Board of Psychology in SZVT Research and Development Center, Main Secretary of the Hungarian Association of the Psychopathology of Expression and Art Therapy in the Hungarian Psychiatric Association, Chair of Section of Psychology of Expression, Hungarian Psychological Association.