--- title: Dr. Jennifer Diedrich url: "https://www.zib.education/en/team/dr-jennifer-diedrich-2/" date: 2025-04-02 modified: 2025-12-02 lastUpdated: 2025-12-02 --- # Dr. Jennifer Diedrich PD Dr. Amory Danek ================== Research Associate | TUM PD Dr. Amory Danek has been part of the PISA team since February 2025. She is a habilitated psychologist, and her research interests include thinking and problem solving, the **Aha!** moment, and the influence of emotions on memory. Show more Show less Room 223, Marsstr. 20-22, 80335 München ![Profilfoto Amory Danek](https://www.zib.education/_assets/processed/y8sljomwDiPebLtDIxZOmFi7wQlj8tQkipHdjP33lZ0/q:85/c:3000:1863.3540372671:fp:0.5:0.5/rt:force/w:464/h:288/fn:Y3NtX0Ftb3J5X0RhbmVrXzY2ZWY1NTA4OWU:t/cb:4e90d4f2174aa92879f343d6ddde63ef9d5fd34b/bG9jYWw6L2ZpbGVhZG1pbi9CaWxkZXIvTWl0YXJiZWl0ZXIvVFVNL0Ftb3J5X0RhbmVrLnBuZw) © Andreas Heddergott Vita ---- - Research Scientist, Technical University of Munich, School of Social Sciences and Technology, Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) since 02/2025 - Habilitation (venia legendi for psychology), Heidelberg University, 06/2024 - Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Heidelberg University (09/2017 – 02/2025) - Research Scientist, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA (DFG Research Fellowship on “Learning from insight – disentangling cognitive and affective components of the insight memory advantage”) (09/2015 – 08/2017) - Research Scientist, Neurobiology, Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU) (01/2015 – 08/2015) - Principal Investigator „Neural Correlates of Insight“, Junior Researcher Fund of LMUexcellent, LMU (07/2013 – 12/2014) - Ph.D., Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, LMU Thesis “Investigation of insight with magic tricks: Introducing a novel paradigm”; Grade: A (1,3) (04/2008 – 11/2012) - Diploma, Psychology, University of Vienna and LMU (10/2002 – 03/2008) - Master of Science, Neuro-Cognitive Psychology, LMU (10/2005 – 09/2007) **Research Interests** ---------------------- - Thinking and problem solving - Aha! experiences - Creativity - Metacognition - Impact of emotions on memory - Educational equality **Activities** -------------- - PISA 2025 (innovative domain) - EU-project on educational equality: - Associate Editor of *Thinking & Reasoning* (since 2021) - Editor of *Journal of Dynamic Decision Making* (since 2023) **Selected Publications** ------------------------- - Wiley, J. & **Danek, A.H.** (2024). Restructuring processes and Aha! experiences in insight problem solving. *Nature Reviews Psychology, 3,* 42-55*.* - Bilalić, M., Graf, M., Vaci, N., & **Danek, A.H.** (2021). The temporal dynamics of insight problem solving – restructuring might not always be sudden. *Thinking & Reasoning, 27*(1), 1-37*.* [PDF](http://www.amorydanek.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Bilalic-Danek-2019-Temporal-dynamics.pdf) - Rummel J., Iwan, F., Steindorf, L., & **Danek, A.H.** (2021). The role of attention for insight problem solving: Effects of mindless and mindful incubation periods. *Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 33* (6-7), 757-769. [PDF](http://www.amorydanek.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Rummel-et-al.-2020.pdf) - **Danek, A.H.** & Wiley, J. (2020). What causes the insight memory advantage? *Cognition, 205,* 104411*.* [PDF](http://www.amorydanek.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Danek-Wiley-Memory-Advantage-2020.pdf) - **Danek, A.H.** & Salvi, C. (2020). Moment of truth: Why Aha! experiences are correct. *The Journal of Creative Behavior, 54*, 484-486. [PDF](http://www.amorydanek.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Danek-Salvi-2018.pdf) - **Danek, A.H.** & Wiley, J. (2017). What about false insights? Deconstructing the Aha! experience along its multiple dimensions for correct and incorrect solutions separately. *Frontiers in Psychology,* 7:2077. [PDF](http://www.amorydanek.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Danek-2017-What-about-false-insights.pdf) - **Danek, A.H.**, Öllinger, M., Fraps, T., Grothe, B., & Flanagin, V.L. (2015). An fMRI investigation of expectation violation in magic tricks. *Frontiers in Psychology*, 6:84. [PDF](http://www.amorydanek.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Danek-2015-Expectation-violations.pdf) - - **Danek, A.H.**, Fraps, T., von Müller, A., Grothe, B., & Öllinger, M. (2014). It’s a kind of magic – what self-reports can reveal about the phenomenology of insight problem solving. *Frontiers in Psychology,* 5:1408. [PDF](http://www.amorydanek.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Danek-2014-Its-a-kind-of-magic.pdf) - - **Danek, A.H.**, Fraps, T., von Müller, A., Grothe, B., & Öllinger, M. (2014). Working Wonders? Investigating insight with magic tricks. *Cognition, 130*(2), 174-185*.* [PDF](http://www.amorydanek.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Danek-2014-Working-Wonders.pdf) - **Danek, A.H.**, Fraps, T., von Müller, A., Grothe, B., & Öllinger, M. (2013). Aha! experiences leave a mark: facilitated recall of insight solutions. *Psychological Research,* *77*(5), 659-669. [PDF](http://www.amorydanek.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Danek-2013-Aha-exp-leave-a-mark.pdf) ### **Book chapters** - **Danek, A.H.** & Wiley, J. (2024). The insight memory advantage. In C. Salvi, J. Wiley, & S. M. Smith (Eds.), *The emergence of insight* (pp. 199-220). Cambridge University Press. - **Danek, A.H.** (2024). The phenomenology of insight: The Aha! experience. In L. J. Ball & F. Vallée-Tourangeau (Eds.), *Routledge International Handbook of Creative Cognition* (pp. 308-331)*.* London: Routledge. - **Danek, A.H.** (2018). Magic tricks, sudden restructuring and the Aha! experience: A new model of non-monotonic problem solving. In F. Vallée-Tourangeau (Ed.), *Insight: On the origins of new ideas.* (pp. 51-78). London: Routledge. Find me ------- [ResearchGate](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amory-Danek)