We are looking for answers.

We are looking for answers.

We address questions that are important for human development and thus for our society today and in the future.
How can we make the most of our cognitive potential at every stage of life, make good decisions in our daily lives, and age successfully and healthily? How can we use the knowledge about our behavior and the influence of our environment on us and our behavior to ensure a good life for our children?

We think ahead.

We think ahead.

Basic research opens up new, uncharted areas of knowledge that enable us to better understand and optimize our living environment.
Innovation is only possible through a comprehensive understanding of the world around us. It is therefore essential to invest continuously in scientific studies and experiments.

We offer open spaces.

We offer open spaces.

The best ideas can only emerge and flourish if the right conditions are in place.
We trust the creativity of our researchers, support their courage and curiosity, and provide them with world-class research infrastructure. Whether in the forest, in space or in campus labs, our researchers use cutting-edge methods and technologies to implement groundbreaking study designs.
 

We embrace an interdisciplinary approach.

We embrace an interdisciplinary approach.

Cutting-edge research requires exchange and the greatest intellectual freedom, and complex questions call for many perspectives.
Our research is only possible with the knowledge of many different disciplines. Finding solutions together also means adapting research environments to the demands of different fields and creating opportunities for exchange.

Together we can accomplish great things.

Together we can accomplish great things.



Join the team! Become a supporter and help us to realise our research projects.
Our researchers are not only the best in their fields, their projects are exciting, diverse and internationally outstanding.
 


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The Directors of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development

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Ralph Hertwig

Director, Research Center Adaptive Rationality

»How do we make good decisions?
We know that eating healthily is good for us and riding a bike is better than driving a car. But how do we manage to act accordingly? And how do we decide when we are uncertain what's right?«

 
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Simone Kühn

Director, Research Center Environmental Neuroscience

»How does the environment influence our brain?
Nature is good for us – we can feel that. But why? How does the difference between birdsong and street noise show up in the brain? How can the cities of the future be built to be people-friendly?«
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Ulman Lindenberger

Direktor, Research Center Lifespan Psychology

»How do we promote developmental potential?
Each person's developmental path emerges from the interplay of disposition and environment. We want to explore and improve this interplay, from early childhood to old age.«
 
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Iyad Rahwan

Director, Research Center Humans and Machines

»How do we use artificial intelligence wisely?
What are we learning from new AI tools like ChatGPT, and what are they learning from us? How can we shape technological innovation rather than be driven by it
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Main Projects

Day2day Kids

Day2day Kids

Environmental Neurosciences
Head Prof. Simone Kühn


Our daily living environments are facing major changes in the face of constant global urbanization and, in particular, climate change. In order to better understand the effects of these impending environmental changes on humans, our aim is to investigate how the physical environment affects mental health.
children's drawing

The MRI in the daycare center

Environmental Neurosciences
Head Prof. Simone Kühn


In this study, we want to investigate how children's living environments affect their brain structure and function. For example, how does exposure to noise and air pollution from living next to a major road affect children's brain development?
The Moral Machine Experiment

The Moral Machine Experiment

Man and Machine
Head Prof. Iyad Rahwan


The rapid development of artificial intelligence holds a lot of positive potential, but also raises pressing questions. We explore one of these questions in our global study "Moral Machine". In traffic, one of our most commonplace situations, we are already testing artificial intelligence in the form of autonomously driving cars.
The Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II)

The Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II)

Lifespan Psychology
Head Prof. Ulman Lindenberger


One of the most striking aspects of ageing is its heterogeneity. Some people remain healthy and retain their cognitive abilities into old age, while others suffer early and significant losses. In order to get closer to the causes of these differences, individual trajectories must be tracked over time.
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