Learning & Motivation

The Learning and Motivation group (LAM) aims to build and share knowledge about human learning and the importance of motivational drives to learn. 

Our team consists of researchers and Bachelor and Master students in Psychology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cognitive Neuroscience, Biology, and the Educational Sciences. We actively connect our research to society by co-creating educational tools with partners, including conducting studies in the classroom together with colleagues from the educational sciences. Together, we attempt to bridge the gap between fundamental scientific understanding of learning and motivation and wider societal values, such as improving learning in the educational context and beyond.

Our research is organized around the topic of human learning. We work from the assumption that our brain is a prediction machine. We actively explore our world based on our prior knowledge. In multiple paradigms we explore how we learn from prediction errors. We also investigate motivational aspects of learning and the importance of curiosity for learning.  According to the self-determination theory learning takes place if the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness are served. Curiosity can be defined as intrinsically motivated information seeking and is an important driving force for learning and exploration. We are mostly curious about information that will help us to optimize our model of the world.

Are you looking for a short-term (Bachelor) or long-term (Master) internship around the topic of Learning and Motivation, contact harold.bekkering@donders.ru.nl. We offer up-to-date research knowledge within the domain of Cognitive Neuroscience and a great team-spirit!