Spotlight

Research Report 2020–2022/23 

We are taking a new approach to our reporting: We are delighted to announce that the 2020–2022/23 report on our research activities is available digitally Like its print predecessor, the website offers a comprehensive overview of the Institute’s research, infrastructure, and other relevant information across the reporting period. As a new complement, the magazine Spotlight 2023 offers unique perspectives on our day-to-day work at the institute.  

Schematic representation epigenetics

Socioeconomic inequality in children’s epigenetics

To study the effects of childhood environments on adult health and well-being, researchers examined epigenetic profiles of children using algorithms developed in adults. They find that children growing up in more socioeconomically disadvantaged environments exhibited epigenetic profiles that, in previous studies of adults, were associated with worse health. The results are published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

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.

The title of the book is in the middle in a white box. Outside are many different adjectives in colorful letters.

The Power of Emotions

Emotions make history and have their own history. Exploring the emotional worlds of the German people, this book tells a very different story of the twentieth century. Ute Frevert reveals how emotions have shaped and influenced not only individuals but entire societies. Ute Frevert's engaging analysis of twenty essential and powerful emotions – including anger, grief, hate, love, pride, shame and trust – explores how emotions coloured major events and developments from the German Empire to the Federal Republic until this very day.

The photo shows Yayouk Willems (female) laughing in a portrait in front of a concrete-like wall, which is diagonally divided and painted white in the upper right half. She wears a light blue denim jacket and white strands in the front of her hair.

"This is us" - Questions for Yayouk Willems

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 Yayouk Willems.

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.

New Book: Planetarien

The dream of conquering space has long inspired science and technology, art and popular culture - a dream which continues to this day.Helen Ahner traces in her new book Planetarium the feelings, perceptions and narratives that accompanied the establishment of the planetariums in Munich, Jena, Vienna and Hamburg and shows how planetariums became places where knowledge, perception and wonder were combined and where people learned how to feel modern.

User is looking at her smartphone

The Face Game: New online experiment has been launched

As AI personas make their way into social media, have you ever wondered how they will select their profile pictures? The Face Game is a research project that lets people and AI interact, helping us see how AI might choose its own face depending on its objectives and the people it interacts with. This multidisciplinary project, led by the researchers who created the famed Moral Machine experiment, will help us navigate the future of digital interactions with AI.

The image shows an illustration, an artificially generated pencil-illu-like illustration, of three people up to chest height: Iyad Rahwan (left), executive director Max Planck Institute for Human Development and head of the research center Humans and Machines, Jean-François Bonnefon (center) of Toulouse School of Economics, and Aythami Morales Moreno (right) of Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

„Machines are becoming ever more sophisticated in how they interact with us.“

The most important questions and answers about the new research project The Face Game, from three participating scientists: Iyad Rahwan from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Jean-Francois Bonnefon from the Toulouse School of Economics, and Aythami Morales Moreno from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid

Plate with fruits

How to get your children to eat more fruits and vegetables

Children will eat more fruits and vegetables if families take more time to eat meals. This is the result of a new study led by researchers at the University of Mannheim and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin.

75 years of the Max Planck Society

75 years of the Max Planck Society

Our umbrella organization, the Max Planck Society, was founded in Göttingen in 1948 and is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

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

A new study indicates that children who grow up in socially disadvantaged families tend to have epigenetic profiles ...

To study the effects of childhood environments on adult health and well-being, researchers examined epigenetic ...

Their new multidisciplinary project The Face Game aims to better understand the interplay between humans and AI. Iyad ...

Events

Paul-B.-Baltes Lecture 2023

Oct 11, 2023 06:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

OpinionGPT: Exploring the Impact of Biases on Large Language Models

Alan Akbik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Sep 28, 2023 11:00 AM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Room: ARC meeting room (199)

Seminar: Ethical Accident Algorithms for Autonomous Vehicles and the Trolley Problem: Three Philosophical Disputes

Sven Nyholm, Ludwig Maximilians Universität
Sep 26, 2023 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Room: 316
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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