Learning is the process behind the most remarkable achievements of humankind. For the individual, learning is of great importance for wellbeing and health throughout life. The aims of our research are therefore to discover the principal forces that govern human learning and to chart the origins of individual differences in learning in older age against the backdrop of early development. Ultimately, we hope that the knowledge we gain will help humans to learn more successfully throughout life.
Learning in lifespan development
Using a mixture of longitudinal behavioral studies, behavioral genetics, statistical modeling, and intervention studies, we aim to chart the origin of individual differences in learning in older age. We take a lifespan approach to reach this aim, investigating the processes in both early and late development that give rise to individual differences in learning in older age.
Selected publications
Walhovd, K.B., Lövdén, M., Fjell, A. (2023). Timing of lifespan influences on brain and cognition. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27, 901-915.
Lövdén, M., Fratiglioni, L., Glymour, M., Lindenberger, U., & Tucker- Drob, E. (2020). Education and cognitive functioning across the lifespan. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 21, 6-41.
Funding
Collaborators
Alli Klapp, Mikael Landén, Life Lab
plasticity in lifespan development
Using a mixture of magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and behavioral learning paradigms, we aim to study the brain processes behind the capacity for learning in younger adulthood and in both healthy and pathological aging. Our theoretical approach to this topic is based on the exploration, selection, and refinement model of human learning.
Selected publications
Lindenberger, U., & Lövdén, M. (2019). Brain plasticity in human lifespan development: The exploration-selection-refinement model. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 1, 197-222.
Wenger, E., Brozzoli, C., Lindenberger, U., & Lövdén, M. (2017). Expansion and renormalization of human brain structure during skill acquisition. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 21, 930-939.
Funding
Swedish Research Council, Max Planck Society
Collaborators
Ulman Lindenberger, Michael Schöll, Silke Kern, Gaia Olivo, ICON Lab
The Lövdén Lab 