Ralf Krampe

contact info

	Ralf Krampe (room 04.04) Center for Developmental Psychology Tiensestraat 102, bus 3715 B-3000 Leuven Belgium phone: +32 16 326104 fax: +32 16 326144 e-mail

onderzoeks onderwerpen

Belangrijkste onderzoeksinteresses

Levenslange ontwikkeling van leren en expertise, Sensorimotorische processen (houding en bewegingstiming), Neuropsychologie van bewegingscontrole

Levenslange ontwikkeling van cognitieve en sensorimotorische functies: Projecten

Algemene benadering : The main topic of our research is how individuals adapt their cognitive and sensorimotor performances to age-related changes during childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and older age. Such adaptations comprise the development of everyday cognitive-motor functions (e.g. maintaining postural stability) as well as the acquisition and maintenance of real-life skills or professional expertise (e.g. becoming a concert pianist and staying active at older ages). We use experimental methods in behavioral and neuropsychological paradigms to study the mechanisms underlying performance in different agegroups and in individuals, who have developed high levels of skill in specific domains.

Beweginstiming, leeftijd en expertise: Together with Stephan Swinnen’s group (Dep. of Movement Sciences) we started a new project (Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek –Vlaanderen, 2006-2009) that integrates developmental and neuroscientific approaches to study the involvement of higher cortical functions in action control. From earlier experiments, we know that basal timing mechanisms (like the internal clock) are relatively unaffected by aging, however, controlling complex movement patterns (like rhythms) becomes increasingly difficult for older adults. At the same time, older professional musicians can maintain remarkable skills through deliberate practice. In this new project, we use behavioral and fMRI measures to investigate timing, sequencing and executive control processes in adults differing in age and professional backgrounds (e.g., musicians). 

Houdingscontrole, leeftijd en plasticiteit: Everyday functioning and cognitive plasticity in childhood and later adulthood are constrained by physical and physiological changes that affect sensorimotor as well as cognitive functions. In the context of postural control, for example, studies found an alarmingly high prevalence of incidental falls in the elderly. In our lab we use posturography to study how kids, young and older adults control their bodily sway under simple and challenging conditions like platform sway or unexpected perturbations. In a newly started project (OT 05/25, Onderzoeksfonds KU Leuven, 2006-2009) we study how young and older adults can improve their postural control and how they can learn to adjust their postural stability under conditions of concurrent cognitive task demands. Another goal is to investigate the role of real-life physical skills (e.g. as athletes or dancer). To this end, we developed mathematical models of underlying postural control mechanisms.

Levenslange ontwikkeling van Dual-Tasking: In this project we study how individuals from different agegroups do two things at once, particularly, how they accommodate to concurrent cognitive and sensorimotor task demands. In our experiments we apply the dual-task paradigm, in which participants perform a cognitive task (e.g., memorization) under standard laboratory conditions (single-task: sitting) as well as while they are standing on a force platform that measures their postural sway (dual-task). Comparisons of single- and dual-task performances reveal the costs that concurrent cognitive demands impose on, for example, postural stability and vice versa. While postural control appears almost “automatic”, at least in young adults, our experiments show that kids and even more so older adults must invest cognitive resources to maintain their posture – another way of putting this is that our bodies “cost” our minds and constrain our mental capacities when we get older.

publicaties

PR Journal Artikels 2005-6

Rapp, M., Krampe, R. T., & Baltes, P. B. (2006). Adaptive task prioritization in aging: Selective ressource allocation to 
postural control is preserved in Alzheimer disease. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14, 52-61.

Yang, L., Krampe, R. T., & Baltes, P. B. (2006). Basic forms of cognitive plasticity extended into the oldest-old: Retest learning, age, and cognitive functioning. Psychology and Aging, 21, 372-378.

Charness, N., Tuffiash, M., Krampe, R., Reingold, E. M., & Vasyukova, E. (2005). The role of deliberate practice in chess expertise. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 19, 151-165.

Krampe, R. T., Mayr, U., & Kliegl, R. (2005). Timing, sequencing, and executive control in repetitive movement production. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 31, 379-397.

Geïnviteerde hoofdstukken 2006

Krampe, R. T., & Charness, N. (2006). Aging and expertise. In K. A. Ericsson, N. Charness, P. Feltovich & R. Hoffman (Eds.), Cambridge handbook of expertise and expert performance (pp. in press). NY: Cambridge University Press.

Krampe, R. T., & McInnes, L. (2006). Competence and cognition in ecological approaches to cognitive aging. In J. Bond, F. Dittmann-Kohli, S. M. Peace & G. Westerhof (Eds.), Ageing in society: An introduction to social gerontology (3rd ed.) (pp. in press). London, UK: The British Society of Gerontology.

Selectie uit de vroegere publicaties (PR Journal Artikels)

Krampe, R. T. (2002). Aging, Expertise and Fine Motor Movement. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 26, 769-776.

Krampe, R. T., Engbert, R., & Kliegl, R. (2002). The effects of expertise and age on rhythm production: Adaptations to timing and sequencing constraints. Brain and Cognition, 48, 179-194.

Krampe, R. T., Engbert, R., & Kliegl, R. (2001). Age-specific problems in rhythmic timing. Psychology and Aging, 16, 12-30.

Krampe, R. T., Kliegl, R., Mayr, U., Engbert, R., & Vorberg, D. (2000). The fast and the slow of skilled bimanual rhythm production: Parallel versus integrated timing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 26, 206-233.

Krampe, R. T., & Ericsson, K. A. (1996). Maintaining excellence: Cognitive-motor performance in pianists differing in age and skill level. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 125, 331-359.

Engbert, R., Scheffczyk, C., Krampe, R. T., Rosenblum, M., Kurths, J., & Kliegl, R. (1997). Tempo-induced transitions in polyrhythmic hand movements. Physical Review E, 56, 56-66.

Mayr, U., Kliegl, R., & Krampe, R. T. (1996). Sequential and coordinative processing dynamics in figural transformations across the life span. Cognition, 59, 61-90.

Kliegl, R., Mayr, U., & Krampe, R. T. (1994). Time-accuracy functions for the determination of person and process differences: An application to cognitive aging. Cognitive Psychology, 26, 134-164.

Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100, 363-406.

Sommige vroegere hoofdstukken

Charness, N., Krampe, R. T., & Mayr, U. (1996). The role of practice and coaching in entrepreneurial skill domains: An international comparison of life-span chess skill acquisition. In K. A. Ericsson (Ed.), The road to excellence: The acquisition of expert performance in the arts, sciences, sports, and games (pp. 51-80). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Heizmann, S. (1993). Can we create gifted people? In C. F. G. R. B. K. Ackrill) (Ed.), The origins and development of high abilities (pp. 222-249). Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.

Kliegl, R., Krampe, R. T., & Mayr, U. (2003). Formal models of age differences in task complexity effects. In U. M. Staudinger & U. Lindenberger (Eds.), Understanding human development: Dialogues with lifespan psychology (pp. 289-313). Dordrecht, NL: Kluwer.

Krampe, R. T., & Baltes, P. B. (2003). Intelligence as adaptive resource development and resource allocation: A new look through the lenses of soc and expertise. In R. J. Sternberg & E. L. Grigorenko (Eds.), The psychology of abilities, competencies, and expertise (pp. 31-69). New York: Cambridge University Press.

biografie