Cognitive Research

Learning from conspecifics

Chimpanzees may use social learning to acquire new skills more

Do apes have humor?

Great apes playfully tease each other more

Can we read minds spontaneously?

Whether we spontaneously put ourselves in someone else's shoes is a question of effort more

Unique voice print in parrots

Individual voice could help birds be recognized in a flock, no matter what they say more

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Pupil responses as potential biomarker for neurocognitive functioning more

The secret of beauty

What people find beautiful is highly individual. Aenne Brielmann and her team at the Max Planck Institute of Biological Cybernetics want to know how the perception of beauty comes about and what effect environmental design has on our well-being.  more

Illustration of human brain, halves highlighted in color

A study analyzes differences in brain asymmetry among different individuals more

A person walking on a path in nature.

Study shows that a one-hour walk in nature reduces stress-related brain activity more

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Learning from conspecifics

Chimpanzees may use social learning to acquire new skills more

Do apes have humor?

Great apes playfully tease each other more

Can we read minds spontaneously?

Whether we spontaneously put ourselves in someone else's shoes is a question of effort more

Unique voice print in parrots

Individual voice could help birds be recognized in a flock, no matter what they say more

Illustration of human brain, halves highlighted in color

A study analyzes differences in brain asymmetry among different individuals more

A person walking on a path in nature.

Study shows that a one-hour walk in nature reduces stress-related brain activity more

Kind is playing with Lego

Study shows that children find their own solutions thanks to broad focus more

Near-natural, fractal architecture promotes well-being

Basic researchers call for urban design based on scientific facts more

How the brain helps us focus our attention

A tiny brain structure, the Locus coeruleus, is thought to regulate our brain's sensitivity to relevant information more

Artificial intelligence predicts eye movements

Scientists develop a software that can be used in combination with MRI data for research and diagnosis more

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The secret of beauty

What people find beautiful is highly individual. Aenne Brielmann and her team at the Max Planck Institute of Biological Cybernetics want to know how the perception of beauty comes about and what effect environmental design has on our well-being.  more

The brains of jazz and classical pianists work differently

The brain activity of jazz pianists differs from those of classical pianists, even when playing the same piece of music. more

Even chimpanzees and six-year-old infants want to punish antisocial behaviour more

Probability calculations - even babies can master it

At the age of six months, babies develop a sense of statistics more

Itsy bitsy spider: Fear of spiders and snakes is deeply embedded in us

Babies as old as only a few months are able to identify objects as 'spiders' or 'snakes' and respond to them more

“Mental training to become a tolerant global citizen”

Tania Singer, director at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognition and Brain Sciences, talks about mental empathy exercises, our inner judge and prospects for peaceful coexistence more

Less stress, more social competence

Adults too can acquire social skills such as empathy and compassion more

Memory for details matures gradually

High-resolution imaging provides new insights into the development of the human brain more

Great apes know when they don't know

Chimpanzees and orangutans look for information to fill gaps in their knowledge more

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