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Development of Children and Adolescents

The Leipzig Competence Centre for the Development of Children and Adolescents at Leipzig University studies child and adolescent development from an interdisciplinary perspective. It brings together research groups and researchers who are focusing on child and adolescent development and offers them a platform to work together and share expertise.

Focus on the Development of Children and Adolescents

How do children and adolescents develop? What environmental factors and lifestyle habits influence their health? How crucial is early childhood for the course of modern diseases? When do children and adolescents internalise social principles? How does the way children play affect their prosocial behaviour? How does social interaction become language?

Researchers from various disciplines are exploring questions just like these. The Competence Centre for the Development of Children and Adolescents consolidates the focused research activities in order to investigate the complex development processes from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Our goal is to follow the Leipzig Way as described in the University Development Plan (HEP) 2025 in order to consolidate the research activities at Leipzig University and our partner institutions which focus on child and adolescent development.

Extract from the letter of intent

Integrative Research at the Leipzig Compentence Centre

enlarge the image: Die Grafik beschreibt fünf Phasen der Entwicklung eines integrativen Forschungszentrums anhand des Leipziger Wegs.
Future development of the Competence Centre based on the Leipzig Way. Image: Leipzig University

The Competence Centre combines the wide range of expertise and research on the development of children and adolescents in Leipzig, which is a centre of science and research. As such, it is following the path along the Leipzig Way as described in the  University Development Plan (HEP) 2025. The Centre brings together researchers on the basis of their research questions and facilitates exchange and inspiration as well as multimethodological and multidisciplinary work. Collaboration between various disciplines makes new perspectives and methodological approaches possible and ensures that the development of children and adolescents is comprehensively researched.

Networking various research foci at the participating faculties and non-university institutions opens up a comprehensive perspective on research that makes Leipzig an internationally recognised research location for the topic of childhood and adolescence.

Professors with a wide array of research interests work together at the Competence Centre with the common aim to shed light on the development of children and adolescents from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Spokespersons

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Professor Antje Körner

Research interests: paediatric endocrinology, obesity in children

Keywords (methods, expertise): obesity, chronic diseases

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Professor Maren Witt

Research interests: sport biomechanics, biomechanical movement analysis and optimisation at the limits of human performance (swimming, cross-country skiing, and track and field)

Keywords (methods, expertise):
movement, assessment of potential in (competitive) sport, strength and speed training, neuromuscular diagnostics

Office hours
By appointment via email

Deputy Spokespersons

Professor Henrik Saalbach

Professor Henrik Saalbach

Research interests: learning and instruction, influence of language on learning in school and development, cognitive consequences of multilingualism, conceptual change, science learning and professional skills of teaching staff

Keywords (methods, expertise):
educational psychology, learning, cognition, language

Professor Julian Schmitz

Professor Julian Schmitz

Research interests: social anxiety disorders in childhood and adolescence, risk factors for mental illness

Keywords (methods, expertise):
mental illness, clinical child and adolescent psychology, learning, cognition, behavioural studies, EEG

Individuals Involved

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Professor Wieland Kieß

Keywords (methods, expertise): obesity and chronic diseases, longitudinal studies, endocrinology and metabolism and the LIFE Child study
Research interests: child health in the context of environment
04318 Leipzig

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Professor Brigitte Latzko

Research interests: psychology in schools and in the classroom

Keywords (methods, expertise):
learning, cognition, language, emotions

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Professor Petra Wagner

Research interests: sport for health and rehabilitation sport

Keywords (methods, expertise):
movement, intervention research, modelling of physical activity and health, implementation research, quality management in sport for health

Office hours
nach Vereinbarung

The Competence Centre consolidates the research activities of several faculties and non-university research institutions:

  • Faculty of Education
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  • Faculty of Social Sciences and Philosophy
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  • Faculty of Sport Science
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  • Faculty of Medicine
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  • Faculty of Life Sciences
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  • Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
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  • Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
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  • Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
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  • Department of Pediatrics
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  • Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development
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Anchored at Leipzig University

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Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development

The Research Center approaches child development from many perspectives. In the Research and Teaching Daycare Center, researchers study development and educational measures in a natural context. The Center was established in cooperation with the Max Planck Institutes.

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Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development

Zwei Erwachsene und zwei Kinder spielen im Leipziger Forschungszentrum für frühkindliche Entwicklung
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Master of Science: Early Childhood Research

The degree programme covers topics such as cognitive and social development, psychopathological development, cultural variability in early childhood development, psychological mechanisms, psychopathological developmental processes and cognitive neuroscience.

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Master of Science: Early Childhood Research

Studierende hängen ihre Karteikarten an ein Board mit Magneten, Foto: Christian Hüller
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Master of Arts: Professionalisierung frühkindlicher Bildung

The degree programme aims at the continuing professionalisation of specialist and management personnel in the field of early education. It is designed to be competency-based and is founded on three pillars: professionalisation; early education; and research, empiricism and practi

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Master of Arts: Professionalisierung frühkindlicher Bildung

Jeweils zwei junge Frauen schauen sich im Vordergrund und im Hintergrund des Fotos ein Buch an.
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Research Profile: Children and Adolescents

Study on Rate of Infections in Schools

Farbfotografie aus dem hinteren Bereich eines Klassenzimmers mit Kindern und einer Lehrerin, die an einer Tafel steht.
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Moral Behaviour Influenced by Cooperative Games?

Die Studie der Leipziger Wissenschaftler zeigte, dass kooperative Spiele die Bereitschaft, mit anderen Kindern zu teilen, fördert.
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Study on Children’s Respect for Ownership

Labor im Leipziger Forschungszentrum für frühkindliche Entwicklung.
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Obesity in Early Childhood

An der Universitätsmedizin Leipzig ist die wissenschaftliche Arbeit zu Adipositas ein Forschungsschwerpunkt. Foto: Christian Hüller
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How Do Languages Emerge?

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