2025
Mooraj, Z., Salami, A., Campbell, K.L., Dahl, M.J., Kosciessa, J.Q., Nassar, M.R., Werkle-Bergner, M., Craik, F.I., Lindenberger, U., Mayr, U., Rajah, M.N., Raz, N., Nyberg, L. and Garrett, D.D. (2025). Toward a functional future for the cognitive neuroscience of human aging. Neuron, 113(1), 154-183 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2024.12.008. PDF
2024
Kosciessa, J.Q., Mayr, U., Lindenberger, U. and Garrett, D.D. (2024). Broadscale dampening of uncertainty adjustment in the aging brain. Nature Communications, 15(1), 10717 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55416-2. PDF
Tsubomi, H., Fukuda, K., Kikumoto, A., Mayr, U., & Vogel, E. K. (2024). Task termination triggers spontaneous removal of information from visual working memory. Psychological Science, 35(9), 995-1009 . https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976241246709. PDF
Mayr, U., & Grätz, D. (2024). Does cognitive control have a general stability/flexibility tradeoff problem?. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 57, 101389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2024.101389. PDF
Mayr, U., Rohovit, T., & Freund, A. (2023). Increases in prosociality across adulthood: The pure-altruism hypothesis. Current Opinion in Psychology, 101782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101782. PDF
2023
Moss, M. E., & Mayr, U. (2023). What’s so hard about hierarchical control? Pinpointing processing constraints within cue-based and serial-order control structures. Cognitive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogpsych.2023.101582. PDF
Moss, M. E., Zhang, M., & Mayr, U. (2023). The effect of abstract inter-chunk relationships on serial-order control. Cognition, 239, 105578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105578. PDF
2022
Kikumoto, A., Mayr, U., & Badre, D. (2022). The role of conjunctive representations in prioritizing and selecting planned actions eLife 11:e80153. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.80153
Morales, P., Moss, M. E., & Mayr, U. (2022). Age differences in the recovery from interruptions. Psychology and Aging. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000706. PDF
Moss, M. E., Yu, S. B., Mayr, U. (In Press). Within–Person Dynamics of Affect, Meaning in Life, and Perceived Stress. Journal of Positive Psychology. PDF
2021
Knight, E. L., Morales, P. J., Christian, C. B., Prasad, S., Harbaugh, W. T., Mehta, P. H., & Mayr, U. (2022). The causal effect of testosterone on men’s competitive behavior is moderated by basal cortisol and cues to an opponent’s status: Evidence for a context-dependent dual-hormone hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. PDF
Kikumoto, A., & Mayr, U., (2021). The Role of Conjunctive Representations in Stopping Actions. Psychological Science. PDF
Freund, A. M., Hennecke, M., Brandstätter, V., Martin, M., Boker, S. M., Charles, S. T., … & Zadeh, R. S. (2021). Motivation and healthy aging: A heuristic model. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. PDF
Isaacowitz, D. M., Freund, A. M., Mayr, U., Rothermund, K., & Tobler, P. N. (2021). Age-related changes in the role of social motivation: Implications for healthy aging. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. PDF
2024
Tsubomi, H., Fukuda, K., Kikumoto, A., Mayr, U., & Vogel, E. K. (2024). Task Termination Triggers Spontaneous Removal of Information From Visual Working Memory. Psychological Science, 35(9), 995-1009 . https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976241246709. PDF
Mayr, U., & Grätz, D. (2024). Does cognitive control have a general stability/flexibility tradeoff problem?. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 57, 101389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2024.101389. PDF
Mayr, U., Rohovit, T., & Freund, A. (2023). Increases in prosociality across adulthood: The pure-altruism hypothesis. Current Opinion in Psychology, 101782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101782. PDF
2023
Moss, M. E., & Mayr, U. (2023). What’s so hard about hierarchical control? Pinpointing processing constraints within cue-based and serial-order control structures. Cognitive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogpsych.2023.101582. PDF
Moss, M. E., Zhang, M., & Mayr, U. (2023). The effect of abstract inter-chunk relationships on serial-order control. Cognition, 239, 105578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105578. PDF
2022
Kikumoto, A., Mayr, U., & Badre, D. (2022). The role of conjunctive representations in prioritizing and selecting planned actions eLife 11:e80153. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.80153
Morales, P., Moss, M. E., & Mayr, U. (2022). Age differences in the recovery from interruptions. Psychology and Aging. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000706. PDF
Moss, M. E., Yu, S. B., Mayr, U. (In Press). Within–Person Dynamics of Affect, Meaning in Life, and Perceived Stress. Journal of Positive Psychology. PDF
2021
Knight, E. L., Morales, P. J., Christian, C. B., Prasad, S., Harbaugh, W. T., Mehta, P. H., & Mayr, U. (2022). The causal effect of testosterone on men’s competitive behavior is moderated by basal cortisol and cues to an opponent’s status: Evidence for a context-dependent dual-hormone hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. PDF
Kikumoto, A., & Mayr, U., (2021). The Role of Conjunctive Representations in Stopping Actions. Psychological Science. PDF
Freund, A. M., Hennecke, M., Brandstätter, V., Martin, M., Boker, S. M., Charles, S. T., … & Zadeh, R. S. (2021). Motivation and healthy aging: A heuristic model. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. PDF
Isaacowitz, D. M., Freund, A. M., Mayr, U., Rothermund, K., & Tobler, P. N. (2021). Age-related changes in the role of social motivation: Implications for healthy aging. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. PDF
2020
Moss, M. E., Kikumoto, A., & Mayr, U. (2020). Does Conflict Resolution Rely on Working Memory? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. doi:10.1037/xlm0000801 PDF
**Winner of the 2021 Early Career Contribution Award of APA’s Society for Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Science: Melissa Moss.**
Mayr, U., & Freund, A. M. (2020). Do we become more prosocial as we age, and, if yes, why? Current Directions in Psychological Science. PDF
Kikumoto, A., & Mayr, U., (2020). Conjunctive Representations that Integrate Stimuli, Responses, and Rules are Critical for Action Selection. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 201922166. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1922166117 PDF bioRxiv:LINK
Knight, E. L., McShane, B. B., Kutlikova, H. H., Morales, P. J., Christian, C. B., Harbaugh, W. T., … & Carré, J. M. (2020). Weak and variable effects of exogenous testosterone on Cognitive Reflection Test performance in three experiments: Commentary on Nave, Nadler, Zava, and Camerer (2017). Psychological Science, 31(7), 890-897.
2019
Kikumoto, A., & Mayr, U. (2019). Balancing Model-Based and Memory-Free Action Selection under Competitive Pressure. eLife.48810. LINK, BioRxiv: LINK
Hubbard, J., Kikumoto, A., & Mayr, U. (2019). EEG Decoding Reveals the Strength and Temporal Dynamics of Goal-Relevant Representations. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 9051.LINK, bioRxiv: LINK
2018
Kikumoto, A., & Mayr, U. (2018). Decoding hierarchical control of sequential behavior in oscillatory EEG activity. eLife, 7, e38550. LINK
Naveh-Benjamin, M., & Mayr, U. (2018). Age-related differences in associative memory: Empirical evidence and theoretical perspectives. Psychology and aging, 33(1), 1.PDF
2017
Karns, C. M., Moore III, W. E., & Mayr, U. (2017). The Cultivation of Pure Altruism via Gratitude: A functional MRI Study of Change with Gratitude Practice. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 11, 599.PDF
Knight, E. L., Christian, C. B., Morales, P. J., Harbaugh, W. T., Mayr, U., & Mehta, P. H. (2017). Exogenous testosterone enhances cortisol and affective responses to social-evaluative stress in dominant men. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 85, 151-157.PDF
Kikumoto, A., & Mayr, U. (2017). The Nature of Task Set Representations in Working Memory. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. PDF
2016
Schwarzkopp, T., Mayr, U., & Jost, K. (2016). Early Selection Versus Late Correction: Age-Related Differences in Controlling Working Memory Contents. Psychology and aging. PDF
Hubbard, J., Kuhns, D., & Mayr, U. (2016). Is Conflict Adaptation due to Active Regulation or Passive Carry-Over? Evidence from Eye Movements. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. PDF
Hubbard, J., Harbaugh, W.T., Srivastava, S., Degras, D., & Mayr, U. (2016) A General Benevolence Dimension that Links Neural, Psychological, Economic, and Life-span Data on Altruistic Tendencies. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. PDF Supplemental Materials Data
Kikumoto, A., Hubbard, J., & Mayr, U. (2016). Dynamics of Task-set Carry-Over: Evidence from Eye-Movement Analyses. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review PDF
2015
Mayr, U., & Spieler D.H. (in press). When and why do old adults outsource control to the environment? Psychology and Aging. PDF
Jost, K. & Mayr, U. (2015). Switching between filter settings reduces the efficient utilization of visual working memory. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience. PDF
2014
Mayr, U., Kuhns, D., & Hubbard, J. (2014). Long-Term Memory and the Control of Attentional Control. Cognitive Psychology. PDF
Mayr, U., LaRoux, C., Rolheiser, T., Osternig, L., Chou, L., & van Donkelaar, P. (2014). Executive Dysfunction Assessed With a Task-Switching Task Following Concussion. PLOS One. PDF
Lindenberger, U., & Mayr, U. (2014). Cognitive Aging: Is There a Dark Side to Environmental Support? Trends in Cognitive Science. 18, 7-15. PDF
Rode, C., Robson, R., Purviance, A., Geary, D. C., & Mayr, U. (2014). Is Working Memory Training Effective? A Study in a School Setting. PloS one, 9, e104796. PDF
Wozniak D., Mayr, U., & Harbaugh, B. (2014). The Menstrual Cycle and Performance Feedback Alter Gender Differences in Competitive Choices. Journal of Labor Economics. PDF
2013
Mayr, U., Kleffner, K., Kikumoto, A., & Redford, M. (2013). Control of Task Sequences: What is the Role of Language? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition PDF
Mayr, U., Kuhns, D., & Rieter, M. (2013). Eye movements reveal dynamics of task control. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 142(2), 489. PDF
Howell, D., Osternig, L., van Donkelaar, P., Mayr, U, & Chou, L. (2013). Effects of Concussion on Attention and Executive Function in Adolescents. Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine. PDF
2012
Mayr, U., Wozniak D., Davidson C., Kuhns, D., & Harbaugh, W.T. (2012). The feisty fifties: Competitiveness across the life span. Psychology and Aging. LINK
Wozniak, D., Harbaugh, W., & Mayr, U. (2012). The Menstrual Cycle and Performance Feedback Alter Gender Differences in Competitive Choices. Journal of Labor Economics. PDF
2011
Anderson, M.C., Reinholz, J., Kuhl, B.A., & Mayr, U. (2011). Intentional suppression of unwanted memories grows more difficult as we age. Psychology and Aging 673-679. PDF
2010
Fukuda, K., Vogel, E., Mayr, U., & Awh, E. (2010). Quantity not quality: The relationship between fluid intelligence and working memory capacity. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 17, 673-679. PDF
Jost, K., Bryck, R.B., Vogel, E.K., & Mayr, U. (2010). Are old adults just like low working memory young adults? Filtering efficiency and age differences in visual working memory. Cerebral Cortex. PDF
Mayr U. (2010). The surface structure and the deep structure of sequential control: What can we learn from task-span switch costs? Psychonomic Bulletin and Review , 17, 693-698. PDF
2009
Mayr U. (2009). Sticky plans: Inhibition and binding during serial task control. Cognitive Psychology, 59, 123-153. PDF
Mayr, U., Harbaugh, B., & D. Tankersley, D. (2009). Neuroeconomics of charitable giving and philantrophy. In P. Glimcher,, C.F. Camerer, E., Fehr, & R.,A. Poldrack (Eds.), Neuroeconomics: decision-making and the brain. Academic Press. PDF
Silsupadol, P., Shumway-Cook, A., Lugade, V. van Donkelaar, P., Chou, L.S., Mayr, U, & Woollacott, M.J. (2009). Effects of Single- vs. Dual-task training on Balance Performance in Older Adults: A Double-blind, Randomized Controlled Trial. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Rehabilitation, 90, 381-387. LINK
Siu, K.-C., Chou, L.S., Mayr, U., van Donkelaar, P., & Woollacott, M.H. (2009). Attentional mechanisms contributing to balance constraints during gait: The effects of balance impairments. Brain Research. 1248, 59-67. LINK
2008
Bryck, R. & Mayr, U. (2008). Task selection cost asymmetry without task switching. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 15, 128-134.PDF
Mayr, U., & Awh. E. (2008). The elusive link between conflict and conflict adaptation. Psychological Research, 73, 794-802.PDF
Jost, K., Mayr, U, & Rösler F. (2008). Is task switching nothing but cue priming? Evidence from ERPs.Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience. 8, 74-84.PDF
Siu, K.-C., Chou, L.S., Mayr, U., van Donkelaar, P., & Woollacott, M.H. (2008). Does inability to allocate attention contribute to balance during gait in older adults? Journals of Gerontolgy: Medical Sciences. 1248, 59-67.LINK
2007
*Harbaugh, B.T., *Mayr, U., & Burghart, D. (2007). Neural responses to taxation and voluntary giving reveal motives for charitable donations. Science, 316, 1622-1655. Full text here.
Mayr, U. (2007). Inhibition of task sets. In D.S. Gorfein & C.M. MacLeod (Eds.). Inhibition in Cognition. APA Books: Washington DC. PDF
2006
Mayr, U. (2006). What matters in the cued task-switching paradigm: Tasks or cues? Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 5, 794-799. PDF
*Spieler, D., *Mayr, U., & LaGrone, S. (2006). Outsourcing cognitive control to the environment: Adult-age differences in the use of task cues. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 5, 787-793. PDF
Mayr, U., & Bell, T. (2006). On how to be unpredictable: Evidence from the voluntary task-switching paradigm. Psychological Science , 17, 774-780. PDF
Mayr, U., & Bryck, R.L. (2006). Outsourcing Control to the Environment: Effects of Stimulus/Response Locations on Task Selection. Psychological Research, 71, 107-116. PDF
Mayr, U., Diedrichsen, J., Ivry, R., & Keele, S. (2006). Dissociating task-set selection from task-set inhibition in prefrontal cortex. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience , 18, 14-21. PDF
2005
Bryck, R.L. & Mayr, U. (2005). Does executive task management require verbalization? Memory & Cognition, 33, 11-23. PDF
Deater-Deckard, K. & Mayr, U. (2005). Cognitive change in aging: identifying gene-environment correlation and nonshared environmental mechanisms. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 60, 24-31.
Foroni, F. & Mayr, U. (2005). The power of a story: New, automatic associations from a single reading of a short scenario. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 12, 139-144. PDF
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. PDF
Mayr, U., & Bryck, R.L. (2005). Sticky rules: Integration between abstract rules and specific actions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 31, 337-350. PDF
2004
Mayr. U. (2004). Consciousness and control. Trends in Cognitive Science. 8, 145-148.
2003
Keele, S., Ivry, R., Mayr, U., Hazeltine, E., & Heuer, H. (2003). The cognitive and neural architecture of sequence representation. Psychological Review, 110, 316-339. PDF
Mayr. U. & Kliegl, R. (2003). Differential effects of cue changes and task changes on task-set selection costs. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 29, 362-372. PDF
Mayr, U., Awh, E., & Laurey, P. (2003). Does conflict adaptation require executive control? Nature Neuroscience, 6, 450-452. PDF
2002
Mayr, U. (2002). Inhibition of action rules. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 9, 93-99. PDF
2001
Mayr, U. (2001). Age differences in the selection of mental sets: The role of inhibition, stimulus ambiguity, and response-set overlap. Psychology and Aging, 16, 96-109. PDF
Mayr, U. & Liebscher, T. (2001). Is there an age deficit in the selection of mental sets? European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 13, 47-69.
Mayr, U., Spieler, D., & Kliegl, R. (2001). Ageing and executive control: Introduction to the special issue. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 13, 1-4.
Oberauer K., Demmrich A., Mayr U., & Kliegl, R. (2001). Dissociating retention and access in working memory: An age-comparative study of mental arithmetic. Memory and Cognition, 29, 18-33.
2000
Helmuth, L., Mayr, U., & Daum, I. (2000). Sequence learning in patients with Parkinson’s disease: A comparison between spatial-attention and number-response sequences. Neuropsychologia, 38, 1143-1451.
Krampe, R. T., Kliegl, R., Mayr, U., Engberg, R., & Vorberg, D. (2000) On the fast and slow of bimanual rhythm production: Parallel vs. integrated timing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 26, 206-233. PDF
Mayr, U., & Keele, S. (2000). Changing internal constraints on action: The role of backward inhibition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 129, 4-26. PDF
Mayr, U. & Kliegl, R. (2000). Task-set switching and long-term memory retrieval. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 26, 1124-1140. PDF
Mayr, U., & Kliegl, R. (2000). Complex semantic processing in old age: Does it stay or does it go? Psychology and Aging, 15, 29-34. PDF
Before 2000
Verhaeghen, P., Kliegl, R., & Mayr, U. (1997). Sequential and coordinative complexity in time-accuracy functions for mental arithmetic. Psychology and Aging, 12, 555-564.
Mayr, U. (1996). Spatial attention and implicit sequence learning: Evidence for independent learning of spatial and nonspatial sequences. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 19, 1297-1320.
Mayr, U., Kliegl, R., & Krampe, R. T. (1996). Sequential and coordinative processing dynamics 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.
Baltes, M., Mayr, U., Borchelt, M., Maas, I., & Wilms, U. (1994). Everyday competence in old and very old age: An interdisciplinary perspective. Ageing and Society, 13, 657-679.
Mayr, U., & Kliegl, R. (1993). Sequential and coordinative complexity: Age-based processing limitations in figural transformations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 19, 1297-1320.
Lindenberger, U., Mayr, U., & Kliegl, R. (1993). Speed and intelligence in old age. Psychology and Aging, 8, 207-220.
Kliegl, R., & Mayr, U. (1992). Commentary on Salthouse. Human Development, 35, 343-349.