Agneta Herlitz’ research group
Individual differences in cognition – What sex differences are there in cognitive abilities and how can they be explained? Is the risk of dementia influenced by the cogntive ability in childhood?
Individual differences in cognition
Two overarching research themes can be identified in Agneta Herlitz’ research group: The where’s and why’s of cognitive sex differences, and the impact of childhood cognitive ability on later life cognition and risk of dementia. The research on sex differences has a specific focus on episodic memory and face recognition, with the aim to understand both the underlying biological markers for these differences, but also to what extent the pattern and magnitude of the differences are affected by sociocultural factors. In the second line of research, we are concerned with childhood cognitive ability and its association with later risk of dementia, but also to what extent activities performed during the lifetime (education, occupation) affect the relationship and the speed of cognitive decline in the normal aging process.
Research projects
- Sex differences in episodic memory
- Sex differences in face recognition
- Early life cognitive abilities’ influences on later life
Selected publications
The changing face of cognitive gender differences in Europe.
Sex differences and the own-gender bias in face recognition: A meta-analytic review. Herlitz, A., & Lovén, J. Visual Cognition, (2013) 21, 1306-1336.
Sex differences in episodic memory. Herlitz, A., & Rehnman, J. Current Directions in Psychology (2008) 17, 52-56.
Personality and lifestyle in relation to dementia incidence.
Face gender modulates women's brain activity during face encoding.