Humboldt Research Award for Ulrich Mayr
Ulrich Mayr, Professor of Psychology and Department Head at the University of Oregon, Eugene, USA, has been awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award 2014 of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He will visit the Institute in 2014 and 2015 to plan and initiate collaborative research. Ulman Lindenberger will be his host.
Ulrich Mayr investigates cognitive mechanisms that implement flexible control of action and thought in younger and older adults. He has shown that the human cognitive system has a one-task-at-a-time constraint, enforcing the need to switch back and forth between tasks during multi-tasking. He also has shown that people’s ability to bind abstract task rules to simple environmental stimuli enables them to “outsource” control to the environment.
In a separate, provocative line of research, Ulrich Mayr has begun to explore neural representations of the common good. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation grants its Humboldt Research Awards in recognition of a researcher's lifetime achievements up to date. The award enables researchers from abroad to spend a period of time at a research institution in Germany. The foundation aims to promote international collaboration among scientists.
Original Publication
Lindenberger, U., & Mayr, U. (2014). Cognitive aging: Is there a dark side to environmental support? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 18(1).