The picture shows a city in the future, starting from a square with green areas and ending in a street line towards the light. The street is lined with houses, with more and more tower blocks at the back. There are flying objects in the sky, smoke coming from houses and wind turbines rising into the sky. In the square in the foreground is a robot twice the size of the people in the picture. It is located in a round square. To the left and right of the houses are holographic screens displaying scientific information.

Machine+Behavior Conference in April

As the rise of AGI and large language models like GPT-4 reshape our world, we're faced with pressing questions: How do we ensure behavioral AI safety? What does the future of work and human communication look like? And how can we guide cultural shifts in this new age? This event is not just a meeting of minds but a call to action. We aim to collaboratively chart research priorities, foster community ties among machine behavior enthusiasts, and lay the groundwork for future engagements.

Collage with portraits of various MPIB researchers for the format "This is us"

Review of the last 12 months "This is us"

Our institute has over 300 employees. But that is just a number. Who are the people at our institute? What do they do and what drives them?

In our "This is us" format, colleagues answer questions about their work and their motivation. 

The picture shows a collage of two images, each showing an MRI: a 7T MRI Magnetom Terra.X and a 3T MRI Magnetom Cima.X. Both from Siemens Healthineers.

New MRIs MAGNETOM Terra.X (7 Tesla) and MAGNETOM Cima.X (3 Tesla) - planned for the Campus of Cognition

The Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIB) is expanding its research infrastructure in the field of cognitive neuroscience with the purchase of additional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners from Siemens Healthineers.

portrait Viktor Müller

Inter-Brain Synchronization: "My fascination with the topic continues to this day!"

During collaborative music-making, kissing, or playing chess, the brains of those involved connect, and their brain waves synchronize. Biologist Viktor Müller co-discovered the phenomenon of so-called inter-brain synchronization and dedicated almost his entire career to its exploration. In this interview, he shares insights into his research, its most significant findings, and why he would always choose this fascinating research topic again. 

The photo shows Julia Wambach (female) smiling in front of a concrete-like wall, which is divided diagonally and painted white in the upper right half. She is wearing a black cardigan over a black T-shirt and has short, loose brown hair.

"This is us" - Questions for Julia Wambach

Our institute has over 300 employees. But that is just a number. Who are the people at our institute? What do they do and what drives them? In the latest "This is us" format we introduce Julia Wambach.

Doctor working at a computer

Collective intelligence can help reduce medical misdiagnoses

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, the Institute for Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC), and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology developed a collective intelligence approach to increase the accuracy of medical diagnoses. Their work was recently presented in the journal PNAS.
 

Portrait Laurel Raffington

Measuring the “long-arm” of childhood

A new study indicates that children who grow up in socially disadvantaged families tend to have epigenetic profiles associated with poorer outcomes in adults. In this interview, first author Laurel Raffington contextualizes the study results and speaks about future research projects. She also speculates about what her research implies for the current debate on basic child financial security (“Kindergrundsicherung”) in Germany.

We Mourn the Loss ofGert G. Wagner 

We Mourn the Loss of
Gert G. Wagner 

Gert G. Wagner, Max Planck Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, died on January 28, 2024, at the age of 71. "We bid farewell to a highly respected scientist, esteemed colleague and amiable person. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Gert, because he was one of the most curious, open-minded and least dogmatic people I know," says Managing Director Ralph Hertwig.

The Institute

Our Research
The Max Planck Institute for Human Development is dedicated to the study of human development and educational processes across the lifespan and historical time. Researchers from diverse disciplines—including psychology, sociology, history, computer and information science, medicine, mathematics, and economics—work together on interdisciplinary projects. An overview of all research centers and groups can be found here.
 
Our Staff
Are you looking for a specific contact? Some 350 people from over 30 countries work at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. The institute comprises four research centers, six Research Groups, one Lise Meitner Research Group, and several service departments. The contact details of all staff members are listed here.

 
Study Participation
Are you interested in participating in a study? We are always looking for men, women, and children of various ages who are interested in participating in psychological or neuroscience studies. Here you can find out which projects are currently looking for participants and read up on the conditions for participation and study methods used.

Current Research Results


Cover of the Book The integrity of dopaminergic and noradrenergic brain regions is associated with different aspects of late-life memory performance
The title of the book is Does prefrontal connectivity during task switching help or hinder children’s performance
The title of the book is in the middle in a white box. Outside are many different adjectives in colorful letters.
In the center of the picture, an observatory on wheels can be seen, with people standing around it marveling. At the lower left edge, a speaker stands at the lectern and points into the sky.
It shows the Book Cover The Body Unburdened written by Esra Sarioglu. The upper third displays the book title and name, in the lower two thirds is a photo of a woman standing in the midst of police officers and the proud look is led away.
Cover of the book "Jahrbuch Deutsche Einheit 2022"
Grüne fahren SUV und Joggen macht unsterblich
Feeling Political.
Zur Zukunft der Demokratie
Fluid Feelings
Lost dynamics and the dynamics of loss: Longitudinal compression of brain signal variability is coupled with declines in functional integration and cognitive performance
Klick
Sex - right!
feeling different: Gay and Lesbian Life in the Federal Republic.
Deliberate Ignorance: Choosing Not to Know
The long-term proficiency of early, middle, and late starters learning English as a foreign language at school
Classification in the Wild
Mächtige Gefühle
Body, Capital, and Screens: Visual Media and the Healthy Self in the 20th Century
The politics of humiliation: A modern history.
original

News

News

During collaborative music-making, kissing, or playing chess, the brains of those involved connect, and their brain ...

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, the Institute for Cognitive Sciences and Technologies ...

Iyad Rahwan was named one of the 100 most influential scientists in Berlin 2023 by the Tagesspiegel. The ...

Events

Seminar: Augmenting Humans

Misha Sra, University of California, Santa Barbara
Jun 11, 2024 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Room: Small Conference Room

Seminar: A mathematical description of decision making processes involving norms and its experimental validation

Anxo Sánchez, Charles III University of Madrid
May 21, 2024 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Room: Large Conference Room

Seminar: Emilio Calvano

Emilio Calvano, Tor Vergata University
May 14, 2024 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Room: Large Conference Room

Machine+Behavior Conference

Apr 29, 2024 09:00 AM (Local Time Germany) - Apr 30, 2024 04:00 PM
Harnack-Haus Berlin

Career

Equal Opportunities
The Max Planck Institute for Human Development is committed to promoting equal opportunities for women and men. We take both organizational and personnel measures to facilitate the reconciliation of work and family life and to promote women’s careers. Our aim is to ensure a positive environment that promotes and supports excellence.
Research Schools
The MPI for Human Development provides several working opportunities for Predocs.
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