The Psychonomic Society is a preeminent society for the experimental study of cognition. She was elected to the Psychonomic Society's Governing Board in 2024, and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Publications Committee. Claudia is a past Associate Editor for Behavior Research Methods, Communications Psychology, and Memory, and is a member of the European Society for Cognitive Psychology (ESCoP), Experimental Psychology Society (EPS), and Higher Education Academy (HEA).
In 2025, Claudia co-hosted the 24th ESCoP conference at the University of Sheffield. She also co-develops Tatool Web, an open-source, freely available software for creating and running experiments. As the Chair-Elect in 2027, Claudia also joins the Executive Committee of the Governing Board.
I’m delighted and honoured to have been elected Chair of the Psychonomic Society. The Society and its community have been a very important part of my academic life since I first became a member, and I’m excited about the opportunity to give something back to a community that has always been very close to my heart.
Professor Claudia von Bastian
Claudia von Bastian is a Professor of Cognitive Psychology at the University of Sheffield, researching cognitive individual differences and how cognitive abilities can change through experience. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Zurich in 2012 and conducted research at the University of Bristol as a visiting researcher before holding positions at the University of Zurich, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Bournemouth University. She joined Sheffield in 2017 and was promoted to Full Professor in 2025.
Claudia's research group investigates individual differences in working memory, executive functions, and reasoning across the adult lifespan. They also examine how intensive, real-world experiences - such as video gaming and esports, music-making, and multilingual environments - relate to cognitive performance, aiming to reveal how flexible and adaptable cognitive mechanisms can be. Ultimately, by identifying the mechanisms and contextual factors that drive cognitive performance and change, Claudia and her group aim to design, implement, and evaluate short-term interventions with the potential to enhance cognitive performance across the adult lifespan
About the Psychonomic Society
The international community of cognitive psychologists recognizes the Psychonomic Society as a preeminent society for the experimental study of cognition. Since it was formed over 60 years ago, the Society has grown to approximately 4,000 researchers.
Members are cognitive psychologists and include some of the most distinguished researchers in the field. Members of the Society conduct research on questions including memory, learning, problem solving, decision making, language, attention, and perception. Many are concerned with the application of psychology to health, technology, and education.
The society hosts meetings around the world, publishes seven world-class, peer-reviewed journals, disseminating the research to the press and public, honoring the contributions by top scientists, and supporting workshops and symposia that advance knowledge and understanding.
The Society works closely with other societies that focus on allied fields of research. They also support US-based advocacy for research funding by working in partnership with the Federation of Associations in Brain and Behavioral Sciences (FABBS).