Dr. Anna Lang

• Decision making competence across the lifespan
• Voting decisions across the lifespan
• Rationality in decision making
• Utilization and understanding of probabilities

• Feedback processing in decision making

since 2024: Lecturer, Department of General Psychology: Judgement, Decision Making, Action, FernUniversität Hagen

2022 – 2023: Maternity and parental leave

2018 – 2024: Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Social, Organisational and Economic Psychology & Center for Empirica Research in Economics and Behavioral Sciences, University of Erfurt, Germany

2018: Dr. phil., University of Erfurt, Germany; summa cum laude; Thesis: Children’s probabilistic judgment and decision making.

2017 – 2018: Researcher, University of Erfurt, Germany; DFG-Project “Probabilistic Decision Making in Children”

2012 – 2017: Researcher, University of Erfurt, Germany; Department of Social, Organisational and Economic Psychology

2009 – 2012: M.Sc. Psychology, University of Erfurt, Germany

2006 – 2009: B. A. Commication Science, University of Erfurt, Germany

Published in peer-reviewed journals

• Lang, A. & Betsch, T. (2023). Children learn simple, adaptive decision strategies from probabilistic feedback. Journal of Cognition and Development. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2023.2248257
• Lang, A. (2023), Voting at 16? 16–17-Year-Old Germans Vote as Correctly as Adults. Political Psychology, 44, 857-870. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12892
• Aßmann, L., Betsch, T., Lang, A., & Lindow, S. (2022). When even the smartest fail to prioritise: overuse of information can decrease decision accuracy. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 34(5), 675-690, DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2022.2055560
• Lindow, S., & Lang, A. (2021). A lifespan perspective on decision-making: A cross-sectional comparison of middle childhood, young adulthood, and older adulthood. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 35(3), e2268. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.2268
• Lang, A. (2021). Teaching children to take the best. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 72, 101234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2020.101234
• Lang, A. & Betsch, T. (2018). Children’s neglect of probabilities in decision making with and without feedback. Frontiers in Psychology, 9:191. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00191
• Lindow, S., Lang, A., & Betsch, T. (2017). Holistic information integration in child decision making. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 30, 1131–1146. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.2029
• Betsch, T., Lehmann, A., Lindow, S., Lang, A., & Schoemann, M. (2016). Lost in search: (Mal-)adaptation to probabilistic decision environments in children and adults. Developmental Psychology, 52 (2). 311–325. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000077
• Betsch, T., Ritter, J., Lang, A., & Lindow, S. (2016). Thinking beyond boundaries. In L. Macchi, M. Bagassi, & R. Viale, (Eds.). Cognitive unconscious and human rationality. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Betsch, T., Lang, A., Lehmann, A., & Axmann, J.M. (2014). Utilizing probabilities as decision weights in closed and open information boards: A comparison of children and adults. Acta Psychologica, 153, 74–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2014.09.008
• Betsch, T., & Lang, A. (2013). Utilization of probabilistic cues in the presence of irrelevant information: A comparison of risky choice in children and adults. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 115, 108–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2012.11.003

Book chapters

• Betsch, T., Ritter, J., Lang, A., & Lindow, S. (2016). Thinking beyond boundaries. In L. Macchi, M. Bagassi, & R. Viale, (Eds.). Cognitive unconscious and human rationality. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
• Adam, M.; Binder, J., Laatz, E., Lang, A., Gottweiss, T. & Steffens, T. (2010). Bürgermedien im Wandel [Grassroots media in a changing environment] In Thüringer Landesmedienanstalt (Ed.) Chancen lokaler Medien. TLM Schriftenreihe. Berlin: Vistas Verlag.

Media Coverage and Interviews

• Vorndran, K. (2024, June, 12). Europawahl-Wem gaben junge Wähler ihre Stimme? [MDR exakt]. https://www.mdr.de/video/mdr-videos/c/video-832700.html
• Bergmann, M. (2024, June, 10). Ntv News Spezial „Europawahl“[NTV]. https://www.n-tv.de/25003956
• Backhaus, A. (2024, May, 21). Wählen ab 16? Was ändert das? [WDR5 Tagesgespräch]. https://wdrmedien-a.akamaihd.net/medp/podcast/weltweit/fsk0/312/3120125/3120125_57482923.mp3
• Schulz, U. (2024, May, 14). Wahlrecht mit 16-Eine gute Idee? [Morgenecho, WDR5]. https://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/audio/wdr5/wdr5-morgenecho-interview/audio-wahlrecht-mit--eine-gute-idee-100.html
• Brandis, C. (2024, May, 05). Jung, politisch, ohnmächtig. Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
• Becker, T. (2024, April 24). Ist die „U18“ schon reif zum Wählen? [Der Redakteur, mdr]. https://www.mdr.de/mdr-thueringen/audio-jugendliche-waehlen-100.html
• Becker, D. (2024, April 20). Jugendliche können gute Wahlentscheidung treffen [SWR Aktuell, SWR]. https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/swr-aktuell-rheinland-pfalz/jugendliche-koennen-gute-wahlentscheidung-treffen/swr-rp/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS9hZXgvbzIwMzgxMTA
• Tesch, A. (2024, April 09). Wählen mit 16. Psychologin der Universität Erfurt zu Wahlentscheidungen von Jüngeren [mdr Aktuell].
• Schottner, D. (2024, January 24). Entscheidungen. Wenn eine Zufallsbegegnung unseren Lebensweg verändert [Ab 21, Deutschlandfunk Nova]. https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/beitrag/entscheidungen-wenn-eine-zufallsbegegnung-unseren-lebensweg-veraendert
• Marsen, T. (2023, October 6). "Mach Meldung!" - Kampagne für Whistleblowing bei der Polizei. [Politik & Hintergrund, BR]. https://www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/politik-und-hintergrund/mach-meldung-kampagne-fuer-whistleblowing-bei-der-polizei/br24/94839102/
• Lang, A. (2023). Der Weg zum Ich. Das Baugerüst, Zeitschrift für Jugend-und Bildungsarbeit (4/23), 23-27.https://baugeruest.ejb.de/aktuelles/bg-423
• Müller, P. (2023, August 31). Was befähigt uns zum Wählen [Systemfragen, Deutschlandfunk]. https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/systemfragen-31-08-wahlalter-was-befaehigt-uns-zum-waehlen-dlf-f2139840-100.html

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anna-Lang-3