Research
In line with the famous words that one cannot step into the same river twice, credited to philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus, we believe that our cognitive system is in constant flux throughout the entire human life. Mnemonic and attentional mechanisms, as well as brain anatomy and function, continue to develop regardless of age.
At the research group for Developmental Psychology, we investigate cognitive and learning development across the lifespan. Our work encompasses both fundamental and applied research, aiming to better understand basic cognitive and brain mechanisms while supporting learning in educational settings. Improving current theory is a core concern of our group.
Have a look at our research projects to find out more!
Research Topics
- brain activity and mnemoic mechanisms over the lifespan
- attention and working memory
- cognitive control and aging
- multitasking and memory
- learning from multiple representations
- designing age-specific learning environments
- professional competencies regarding developmental disabilities
Current Projects
Multitasking and Memory (multi_mem)
Modern life and technologies demand multitasking in our daily routines. However, learning to multitask effectively is difficult, and most of us perform much better when we focus on one task at a time.
In this project, we examine multitasking performance and subsequent memory across different age groups. In particular, we aim to understand how people of different ages remember their experiences in multitasking situations and whether memory can be improved when our cognitive system is challenged by multitasking. We also explore the role of modern technology in shaping multitasking and memory mechanisms in young and old people.
Contact:
Forgetting in Sequences (for_see)
Our cognitive system picks up sequential information from the environment in order to make memory-based predictions about the future. At the same time, the constant stream of sensory information is organized in discrete units, i.e, so-called events, that support both perception and memory. For example, an evening at the theatre may be segmented into events such as traveling to the venue, arriving, greeting friends, and so on.
Memory-based predictions help us anticipate the next moment within an event and to clearly delineate boundaries between events. These predictions can be correct or incorrect. When they are compared to incoming sensory evidence and a mismatch occurs, we experience a prediction error (PE). Such PE can alter memory for originally memorized sequential information and modify future predictions. In this project, we investigate the effect of PE on episodic memory as a function of perceptual shifts, related to transitions between events, and their predictability. We are particularly interested on how these mechanisms differ between children and adults.
Contact:
Professional Competencies Regarding Developmental Disabilities (com_DD)
For children with developmental disabilities (e.g., dyscalculia), professionals such as teachers, psychologist or therapists play an important role. Not only are they essential in the early recognition of the disability, their behaviour, decisions and advice also influence performance-related, emotional-motivational, and social outcomes.
In this project, we investigate the knowledge and competencies among professionals regarding developmental disabilities. Specifically, we are interest into whether there exist some common false beliefs (“myths”) about the disabilities and whether those beliefs differ with experience level. Moreover, we are testing different ways of improving the knowledge, revising false beliefs and enabling transfer to practice.
Kontakt:
Instructional Humor and Seductive Details (hum_SD)
Everyone knows this from their own studies: In lectures, school lessons, or learning media (e.g., textbooks, videos, etc.), fun facts, anecdotes, or comics are sometimes told and shown to make dry topics seem less dry. In such “relaxed” lessons, learners might feel that they have learned something because they were more willing to actively participate. However, research on such attractive elements in learning sessions reveals a more complex picture.
We are interested in the factors that make attractive elements in learning sessions either beneficial or detrimental for learning. More precisely, we investigate how different characteristics of such attractive elements influence cognitive (e.g., cognitive load) and emotional-motivational (e.g., situational interest) processes and thereby learning performance. Moreover, we have a specific look at how different age groups perceive and process such elements (e.g., adolescent vs. adult learners). In doing so, we draw – amongst others- on literature on seductive details, instructional humor and emotional design.