Prof. Dr. Dr. Moritz Köster

With my research I aim to understand how we as humans, through development, adapt to our specific environment, as the basis for individual and culturally diverse developmental pathways. I do so by studying early socio-cognitive development, neuro-cognitive learning mechanisms in infants and adults, as well as social and cultural influences on human development.

An overview on my research topics can be found here.

• since 2022 Professor of Developmental Cognitive Psychology
• 2017-2021 Researcher (Postdoc), Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
• 2018-2019 Guest researcher (Postdoc), Kyoto University, Japan
• 2017-2019 Guest researcher (Postdoc), Max Planck Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Germany
• 2018 PhD in Cognitive Psychology (Dr. phil., summa cum laude), University of Osnabrück, Germany
• 2016 PhD in Developmental Psychology (Dr. rer. nat., summa cum laude), University of Münster, Germany
• 2007-2013 Diploma in Psychology (with distinction), University of Osnabrück, Germany
• 2006-2012 Bachelor in Cognitive science (with distinction), University of Osnabrück, Germany

Google scholar

preprints

Fulcher, T., Köster, M., Woodward, A. (preprint) Infants Understand Others’ Needs – An Independent Replication. doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4347478

2024 & in press

Köster, M. & Hepach, R. (2024). Preverbal infants' understanding of social norms. Scientific Reports. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53110-3

Köster, M. (2024) The theta-gamma code in predictive processing and mnemonic updating. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105529

Bohn, M., da Silva, W., Giner Torréns, M., Kärtner, J., Itakura, S., Cavalcante L., Haun, D., Köster, M.*, & Kanngiesser, P.* (in press). Mealtime conversations between parents and their 2-year-old children in five cultural contexts. Developmental Psychology. (preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/amfj9)

Bánki, A., Köster, M., Cichy, R. M., & Hoehl, S. (2024). Communicative signals during joint attention promote neural processes of infants and caregivers. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2023.10132

Kopp, K.*, Kanngiesser, P.*, Brügger, R., Daum, M., Gampe, A., Köster, M., van Schaik, C., Liebal, K.*, Burkart, J.* (in press). The proximate regulation of prosocial behaviour: Towards a conceptual framework for comparative research. Animal Cognition.

2023

Köster, M., Bánki, A., Yamasaki, D., Kato, M., Itakura, S., & Hoehl, S. (2023). Cross-cultural differences in visual object and background processing in the infant brain. Imaging Neuroscience. doi.org/10.1162/imag_a_00038

Köster, M.*, Brzozowska, A.*, Bánki, A., Tünte, M., Ward, E., & Hoehl, S. (2023). Rhythmic visual stimulation as a window into early brain development: a systematic review. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101315

Köster, M.*, & Meyer, M.* (2023). Down and up! Does the mu rhythm index a gating mechanism in the developing motor system? Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101239

Jurkat, S., Köster, M., Hernandez, L., Itakura, S., & Kärtner, J. (2023) Visual attention across cultures: Similarities and differences in child development and maternal attention styles. Developmental Science. doi.org/10.1111/desc.13368

2022

Xie, S., Hoehl, S., Moeskops, M., Kayhan, E., Kliesch, C., Turtleton, B., Köster, M.* & Cichy, R. M.* (2022) Visual category representations in the infant brain. Current Biology. doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.11.016

Köster, M., & Gruber, T. (2022). Rhythms of human attention and memory: An embedded process perspective. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2022.905837

Köster, M., Giner Torréns, M., Kärtner, J., Itakura, S., Cavalcante L., & Kanngiesser, P. (2022). Parental teaching behavior in diverse cultural contexts. Evolution and Human Behavior. doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.07.002

Bánki, A. A., Brzozowska, A., Hoehl, S., & Köster, M. (2022). Neural entrainment vs. stimulus-tracking: A conceptual challenge for rhythmic perceptual stimulation in developmental neuroscience. Frontiers in Psychology. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.878984

2021

Köster, M., Langeloh, M., Michel, C., & Höhl, S. (2021). Young infants process prediction errors at the theta rhythm. Neuroimage. doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118074

Köster, M., Langeloh, M., Kliesch, C., Kanngiesser, P.*, & Höhl, S.* (2021). The value of subsequent memory paradigms in uncovering neural mechanisms of early social learning. Neuroimage. doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117978

2020

Köster, M., Kayhan, E., Langeloh, M., & Höhl, S. (2020) Making Sense of the World – Infant Learning from a Predictive Processing Perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science. doi.org/10.1177/1745691619895071

Köster, M., Langeloh, M., Kliesch, C., Kanngiesser, P.*, & Höhl, S.* (2020). Motor cortex activity during action observation predicts subsequent action imitation in human infants. Neuroimage. doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116958

Köster, M., Goeke, C., Bonkoch-Goeke, E., Hoffmann, T., & Kaspar, K. (2020). Auditory information support the learning transfer from L2 to L3 tonal languages. Current Psychology.  doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9792-z

Köster, M., Yovsi, R., & Kärtner, J. (in press). Cross-Cultural Differences in the Generation of Novel Ideas in Middle Childhood. Frontiers in Psychology. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01829

Mavridis, P., Kärtner, J., Cavalcante, L., Resende, B., Schuhmacher, N., & Köster, M. (in press) The Development of Context-sensitive Attention in Urban and Rural Brazil. Frontiers in Psychology. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01623

Jurkat, S., Köster, M., Yovsi, R., & Kärtner, J. (2020) The development of context-sensitive attention across cultures - the impact of stimulus familiarity. Frontiers in Psychology. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01526

Haun, D.*, Liebal, K.*, Amici, F., Bender, A., Bohn, M., Bräuer, J., Buttelmann, D., Burkart, J., Cacchione, T., Detroy, S., Faßbender, I., Fichtel, C., Fischer, J., Gampe, A., Gray, R., Horn, L., Ona, L., Kärtner, J., Kaminski, J., Kanngießer, P., Keller, H., Köster, M., Kopp, K., Kornadt, K., Rakoczy, H., Schuppli, C., Stengelin, R., Trommsdorff, G., Van Leeuwen, E., Van Schaik, C. (2020) Ein Plädoyer für die Relevanz der Vergleichenden Psychologie für das Verständnis menschlicher Entwicklung. Psychologische Rundschau. doi.org/10.1026/0033-3042/a000467

2019

Köster, M.*, Langeloh, M.*, & Höhl, S. (2019) Visually entrained theta oscillations increase for unexpected events in the infant brain. Psychological Science.  doi.org/10.1177/0956797619876260

Köster, M., Martens, U., & Gruber, T. (2019). Memory entrainment by visually evoked theta-gamma coupling. Neuroimage. doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.12.002

Köster, M., & Kärtner, J. (2019). Why do infants help? A simple action reveals a complex phenomenon. Developmental Review. doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2018.11.004

Köster, M., Itakura, S., Omori, M., & Kärtner, J. (2019). From understanding others’ needs to prosocial action: Motor and social abilities promote infants’ helping. Developmental Science. doi.org/10.1111/desc.12804

Dworazik, N., Kärtner, J., Lange, L., & Köster, M. (2019) Young children respond to moral dilemma like their mothers. Frontiers in Psychology. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02683

Schuhmacher, N., Köster, M., & Kärtner, J. (2019). Modeling prosocial behavior increases helping in 16-month-olds. Child Development. doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13054

2018

Köster, M.*, Finger, H.*, Graetz, S., Kater, M., & Gruber, T. (2018). Theta-gamma coupling binds visual perceptual features in an associative memory task. Scientific Reports. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35812-7

Köster, M., & Kärtner, J. (2018). Context-sensitive attention is socialized via a verbal route in the parent-child interaction. PLoS ONE. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207113

Köster, M., Itakura, S., Yovsi, R., & Kärtner, J. (2018). Visual attention in 5-year-olds from three different cultures. PLoS ONE.  doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200239

Fonseca, B., Cavalcante, L., Kärtner, J., & Köster, M. (2018). Maternal socialization goals and the spontaneous prosocial behavior of children in rural contexts. Psychology: Research and Review   doi.org/10.1186/s41155-018-0108-x

Schöne, B., Köster, M., & Gruber, T. (2018). Coherence in general and personal semantic knowledge. Experimental Brain Research.  doi.org/10.1007/s00221-018-5324-1

Kruger, D.J., Köster, M., Nedelec, J.L., & Murphy, S.F. (2018). A life history framework advances the understanding of intentions for police cooperation. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences.  doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000109

2017

Köster, M., Castel, J., Gruber, T., & Kärtner, J. (2017). Visual cortical networks align with behavioral measures of context-sensitivity in early childhood. Neuroimage.  doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.08.008

Köster, M., Haese, A., Czernochowski, D. (2017). Neuronal oscillations reveal the processes underlying intentional compared to incidental learning in children and young adults. PLoS ONE.  doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182540

Köster, M., Finger, H., Kater, M., Schenk, C., & Gruber, T. (2017). Neuronal oscillations indicate sleep-dependent changes in the cortical memory trace. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.  doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01071

2016

Köster, M., Cavalcante, L., Carvalho, R., & Resende, B. D., Kärtner, J. (2016). Cultural Influences on Toddlers’ Prosocial Behavior: How Maternal Task Assignment Relates to Helping Others. Child Development.  doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12636

Köster, M. (2016) What about microsaccades in the EEG of infants? Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.  doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.0739

Köster, M., Ohmer, X., Nguyen, T. D., Kärtner, J. (2016) Infants understand others’ needs. Psychological Science.  doi.org/10.1177/0956797615627426

2015

Köster, M., Schumacher, N., & Kärtner, J. (2015) A Cultural Perspective on Prosocial Development. Human Ethology Bulletin  link

Goeke, C., Gramann, K., Kornpetpanee, S., Köster, M., Revelles, F. & König, P. (2015). Cultural background shapes spatial reference frame proclivity. Scientific Reports.  doi.org/10.1038/srep11426

Köster, M., Rüth, M., Hamborg, K.-C., Kaspar, K. (2015). Effects of personalized banner ads on visual attention and recognition memory. Applied Cognitive Psychology.  doi.org/10.1002/acp.3080

2014 & 2013

Köster, M.*, Friese, U.*, Schöne, B., Trujillo-Barreto, N., & Gruber , T. (2014). Theta-gamma coupling during episodic retrieval in the human EEG. Brain Research.  doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2014.06.028

Friese, U.*, Köster, M.*, Hassler, U., Martens, U., Barreto, N. T., & Gruber, T. (2013). Successful memory encoding is associated with increased cross-frequency coupling between frontal theta and posterior gamma oscillations in human scalp-recorded EEG. Neuroimage.  doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.11.002

* Joint first/last authors