Dietsje Jolles
Associate professor
- Name
- Dr. D.D. Jolles
- Telephone
- 071 5272727
- d.d.jolles@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
- ORCID iD
- 0000-0003-1241-1467
Dietsje Jolles is Associate Professor and director of research at the Institute of Education and Child Studies. In her research, Dietsje employs an interdisciplinary approach to study the complex interplay between learning and (neuro)cognitive development, integrating insights from cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and the educational sciences.
More information about Dietsje Jolles
Short CV
Dietsje Jolles is Associate Professor at the program group of Educational Sciences and one of the principal investigators in the Brain & Education lab. As director of research, she is part of the institute board of the Institute of Education and Child Studies.
Dietsje has a background in developmental cognitive neuroscience, with a specific expertise in learning and cognitive skill acquisition. During her doctoral research at Leiden University, she examined the effects of cognitive training on behavior, brain function, and neural connectivity in children and adults.
As a postdoc at Stanford University, she extended this line of work into the domain of education, examining the cognitive and neural mechanisms that contribute to math learning in childhood. For this research she received a Rubicon grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). In 2014, she started the position of Assistant Professor at the Institute of Education and Child Studies in Leiden, and from summer 2017 to spring 2019 she was a visiting research associate at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). From 2021-2025, she was one of the coordinators of the Earli Special Interest Group 22: Neuroscience and Education.
Her recent research has been supported by the Jacobs Foundation, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie International Training Network, the Leiden University Fund (Praesidium Libertatis), and the Dutch National Education Institute. Dietsje has also received several science communication grants and co-founded the science communication program Expedition Innerworld.
Research
In her current work, Dietsje employs an interdisciplinary approach to study the complex interplay between learning and (neuro)cognitive development, integrating insights from cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and the educational sciences.
Her research can be summarized in two main topics: (1) training and transfer of foundational cognitive abilities, including working memory, numerical abilities, and spatial cognition, and (2) developmental and individual differences in learning and academic performance, with a specific focus on active learning strategies.
She studies these questions from different angles and using different research methodologies, including behavioral experiments, intervention studies, and neuroimaging techniques.
Dietsje’s work primarily focuses on late childhood/early adolescence, an important transition phase in children’s development.
Knowledge and skills acquired during this period set the stage for an individual’s future academic and professional career. Yet, students are not always challenged in a way that maximizes their learning potential. Moreover, it is not yet clear how we can help students strengthen the fundamental cognitive abilities that provide the basis for successful learning in the future.
The ultimate goal of Dietsje’s research is to create a better understanding of the way children and young adolescents learn, and to provide new insights for interventions that improve foundational cognitive and academic skills.
Scholarships (selected)
- Make space! Strengthening upper primary math education through improving learning opportunities for spatial reasoning. (2026–2030) Dutch National Education Institute.
- Ruimtelijk inzicht: aangeboren of aan te leren? (2025-2027). LUF Praesidium Libertatis
- De weg kwijt – een platform voor verdwalen (2024-2026). NWA Science Communication
- Wie ben ik? Avonturiers in de binnenwereld (2022-2024). NWA Science Communication
- LEAP fellowship, MIT-Solve & the Jacobs Foundation (2022-2025).
- #Braintalk (2021). KNAW Pilot fund Science communication by scientists: Appreciated!
- Enhancing spatial ability to help close the gender gap in STEM (2020-2024). Marie Skłodowska Curie Innovative Training Network
- Teaching the young-adolescent brain: One size does not fit all (2019-2021). Jacobs Foundation Research Fellowship
- Examining brain network changes associated with cognitive training in children with and without learning disability (2012-2014). Rubicon Fellowship, Dutch Research Council
Work days
Monday, Tuesday morning, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Associate professor
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
- Education and Child Studies
- Educational Science
- Brod G., Kucirkova N., Shepherd J., Jolles D. & Molenaar I. (2023), Agency in educational technology: interdisciplinary perspectives and implications for learning design, Educational Psychology Review 35(25): .
- Zhu C., Leung C.O.Y., Lagoudaki E., Velho M., Segura-Caballero N., Jolles D., Duffy G., Maresch G., Pagkratidou M. & Klapwijk R. (2023), Fostering spatial ability development in and for authentic STEM learning, Frontiers in Education 8: .
- Brod G., Greve A., Jolles D., Theobald M. & Galeano-Keiner E.M. (2022), Explicitly predicting outcomes enhances learning of expectancy-violating information, Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 29: 2192-2201.
- Tetering M.A.J. van, Jolles J., Elst W. van der & Jolles D.D.. Front. Psychol. 12.
- Stroet K.F.A., Endedijk H.M., Liende M. van der, Eijsink T. & Gijlers H. Jolles D. (2022), Schoolsucces als de scholen dicht zijn?: Een onderzoek naar de rol van ondersteuning door leerkrachten en ouders tijdens de coronacrisis, Pedagogische Studien 99(3): 200-221.
- Abreu-Mendoza R.A., Pincus M., Chamorro Y., Jolles D.D., Matute E. & Rosenberg-Lee M. (2021), Parietal and hippocampal hyper‐connectivity is associated with low math achievement in adolescence – A preliminary study, Developmental Science 25: .
- Jolles J. & Jolles D.D. (2021), On neuroeducation: why and how to improve neuroscientific literacy in educational professionals, Frontiers in Psychology 12: .
- Bruïne A. de, Jolles D. & Broek P. van den (2021), Minding the load or loading the mind: the effect of manipulating working memory on coherence monitoring, Journal of Memory and Language 118: .
- Jolles D. & Huijser J. (2021), Tweeluik over het nut van kennis over hersenen en cognitie, Didaktief : .
- Endedijk H.M., Stroet K.F.A. & Jolles D.D. (2021), Onderwijs aan de keukentafel, Tijdschrift voor Orthopedagogiek 5: 22-29.
- Jolles D.D., Mennigen E., Gupta M.W., Hegarty C.E., Bearden C.E. & Karlsgodt K.H. (2020), Relationships between intrinsic functional connectivity, cognitive control, and reading achievement across development, NeuroImage 221: 117202 (117202).
- van Moort M.L., Jolles D., Koornneef A. & van den Broek P. (2020), What you read versus what you know: Neural correlates of accessing context information and background knowledge in constructing a mental representation during reading, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 149(11): 2084-2101.
- Karlsson J., Jolles D., Koornneef A., Van den Broek P. & Van Leijenhorst L. (2019), Individual differences in children’s comprehension of temporal relations: Dissociable contributions of working memory capacity and working memory updating, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 185: 1-18.
- Mennigen E., Jolles D.D., Hegarty C.E., Gupta M., Jalbrzikowski M., Olde Loohuis L.M., Ophoff R.A., Karlsgodt K.H. & Bearden C.E. (2019), State-dependent functional dysconnectivity in youth with psychosis spectrum symptoms, Schizophrenia Bulletin 46(2): 408-421.
- Hegarty C. E., Jolles D.D., Mennigen E., Jalbrzikowski M., Bearden C.E. & Karlsgodt K.H. (2019), Disruptions in White Matter Maturation and Mediation of Cognitive Development in Youths on the Psychosis Spectrum, Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging 4: 423-433.
- Bruïne A., Jolles D. & Van den Broek P.W. (2019), Minding the load or loading the mind: Manipulating working memory in coherence monitoring. 29th annual meeting of the Society for Text and Discourse, New York. 29th annual meeting of the Society for Text and Discourse 9 July 2019 - 11 July 2019.
- Beker K., Van den Broek P. & Jolles D. (2019), Children's integration of information across texts: reading processes and knowledge representations, Reading & Writing 32(3): 663-687.
- Rosenberg-Lee M., Iuculano T., Bae S.R., Richardson J., Qin S., Jolles D.D. & Menon V. (2018), Short-term cognitive training recapitulates hippocampal functional changes associated with one year of longitudinal skill development, Trends in Neuroscience and Education 10: 19-29.
- Van Moort M.L., Jolles D., Koornneef A. & Van den Broek P. (2018), Validation: Knowledge- and Text-based Monitoring during Reading. International Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Amsterdam. 11 May 2018 - 13 May 2018. [conference poster].
- Van Moort M.L., Jolles D., Koornneef A. & Van den Broek P. (2018), What you read vs. what you know: Neural correlates of text-based and knowledge-based monitoring during reading. 8th International Summer School on Literacy Research (25/08/2018-30/08/2018, Egmond aan Zee). 8th International Summer School on Literacy Research 25 August 2018 - 30 August 2018.
- Van Moort M.L., Jolles D., Koornneef A. & Van den Broek P. (2018), Validating What You Know and What You Just Read: Neural Correlates of Knowledge-based and Text-based Monitoring During Reading. 28th Annual Meeting of the Society for Text and Discourse, Brighton. 17 July 2018 - 19 July 2018. [conference poster].
- Van Moort M.L., Jolles D., Koornneef A. & Van den Broek P. (2018), Neural correlates of integration during reading: influence of context information and background knowledge on integration processes and subsequent memory. 25th Annual Meeting of the Scientific Society for the Study of Reading, Brighton. 18 July 2018 - 21 July 2018. [conference poster].
- Van Moort M.L., Jolles D., Koornneef A. & Van den Broek P. (2018), Validation: Knowledge- and Text-based Monitoring during Reading. International Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Amsterdam. 10 May 2018 - 12 May 2018. [conference poster].
- De Bruïne A., Jolles D. & Van den Broek P. (2018), Monitoring information during reading: Investigating the role of working memory in a dual-task paradigm. International Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, Amsterdam. 10 May 2018 - 12 May 2018. [conference poster].
- De Bruïne A., Jolles D. & Van den Broek P. (2018), Monitoring information during reading: Investigating the role of working memory in a dual-task paradigm. 28th Annual Meeting of the Society for Text and Discourse, Brighton. 17 July 2018 - 19 July 2018. [conference poster].
- De Bruïne A., Jolles D. & Van den Broek P. (2018), Monitoring information during reading: Investigating the role of working memory in a dual-task paradigm. 25th Annual Meeting of the Scientific Society for the Study of Reading, Brighton. 18 July 2018 - 21 July 2018. [conference poster].
- De Bruïne A., Jolles D. & Van den Broek P. (2018), Monitoring information during reading: Investigating the role of working memory in a dual-task paradigm. 8th International Summer School on Literacy Research 25 August 2018 - 30 August 2018. Egmond aan Zee: 8th International Summer School on Literacy Research.
- Beker K., Jolles D. & Van den Broek P.W. (2017), Meaningful learning from texts: The construction of knowledge representations. In: León J.A. & Escudero I. (Eds.), Reading comprehension in educational settings. Book series: Studies in Written Language and Literacy no. 16. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. 29-62.
- De Bruïne A., Jolles D. & Van den Broek P.W. (2017), Monitoring information during reading: Investigating the role of working memory in a dual-task paradigm. Winter conference of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Psychonomie (NVP), Egmond aan Zee. Winter conference of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Psychonomie (NVP), Egmond aan Zee. 14 December 2017 - 16 December 2017. [conference poster].
- Beker K., Jolles D., Lorch R.F.Jr. & Van den Broek P.W. (2016), Learning from texts: Activation of information from previous texts during reading, Reading and Writing 29(6): 1161-1178.
- Jolles D.D., Supekar K., Richardson J., Tenison C., Ashkenazi S., Rosenberg-Lee M., Fuchs L. & Menon V. (2016), Reconfiguration of parietal circuits with cognitive tutoring in elementary school children, Cortex 83: 231-245.
- Beker K., Van den Broek P.W. & Jolles D.D. (2016), Children’s integration of information across texts: Reading processes and knowledge representations. 26th Annual Meeting of the Society for Text & Discourse, Kassel. 26th Annual Meeting of the Society for Text & Discourse 18 July 2016 - 20 July 2016.
- Jolles D.D., Ashkenazi S., Kochalka J., Evans T., Richardson J., Rosenberg-Lee M., Zhao H., Supekar K., Chen T. & Menon V. (2016), Parietal hyper-connectivity, aberrant brain organization, and circuit-based biomarkers in children with mathematical disabilities, Developmental Science 19(4): 613-631.
- Jolles D., Wassermann D., Chokhani R., Richardson J., Tenison C., Bammer R., Fuchs L., Supekar K. & Menon V. (2016), Plasticity of left perisylvian white-matter tracts is associated with individual differences in math learning, Brain, Structure and Function 221(3): 1337-1351.
- Van Leijenhorst L., Jolles D.D. & Van den Broek P.W. (2016), Onderwijspedagogiek in neurocognitief perspectief: De rol van de neurowetenschappen in onderwijzen en leren. In: IJzendoorn M.H. van & Rosmalen L. van (Eds.), Pedagogiek in beeld. Herziene druk. Houten: Bohn Stafleu van Loghum. 363-375.
- Peters S., Jolles D.J., Van Duijvenvoorde A.C.K., Crone E.A. & Peper J.S. (2015), The link between testosterone and amygdala-orbitofrontal cortex connectivity in adolescent alcohol use, Psychoneuroendocrinology 53: 117-126.
- Pannekoek J.N., Van der Werff S.J.A., Meens P.H.F., Van den Bulk B.G., Jolles D.D., Veer I.M., Van Lang N.D.J., Rombouts S.A.R.B., Van der Wee N.J.A. & Vermeiren R.R.J.M. (2014), Aberrant resting-state functional connectivity in limbic and salience networks in treatment-naïve clinically depressed adolescents, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 55(12): 1317-1327.
- Rosenberg-Lee M., Richardson J., Jolles D., Cheng K., Qin S., Luculano T. & Menon V. (2014), Dissociable hippocampal and parietal contributions to children's math fact learning. Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA. Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford. 1 January 2014 - 1 January 2014. [conference poster].
- Jolles D.D. (2014), Parietal hyper-connectivity and enchanced signal amplitude in children with math disabilities. Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA. [conference poster].
- Supekar K., Swigart A., Tenison C., Jolles D.D., Rosenberg-Lee M., Fuchs L. & Menon V. (2013), Neural predictors of individual differences in response to math tutoring in primary-grade school children, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110(20): 8230-8235.
- Kleibeuker S., Koolschijn P.C., Jolles D., De Dreu C.K.W. & Crone E.A. (2013), The neural coding of creative idea generation across adolescence and early adulthood, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 7: e905.
- Jolles D.D., Van Buchem M.A., Crone E.A. & Rombouts S.A.R.B. (2013), Functional brain connectivity at rest changes after working memory training, Human Brain Mapping 34(2): 396-406.
- Kleibeuker S.W., Koolschijn P.C., Jolles D.D., Schel M.A., Dreu C.K.W. de & Crone E.A. (2013), Prefrontal cortex involvement in creative problem solving in middle adolescence and adulthood, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience 5: 197-206.
- Jolles D.D. & Crone E.A. (2012), Training the developing brain: a neurocognitive perspective, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 6: 76.
- Jolles D.D., Van Buchem M.A., Rombouts S.A.R.B. & Crone E.A. (2012), Practice effects in the developing brain: A pilot study, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience 2(S1): S180-S191.
- Jolles D.D., Kleibeuker S.W., Rombouts S.A.R.B. & Crone E.A. (2011), Developmental differences in prefrontal activation during working memory maintenance and manipulation for different memory loads, Developmental Science 14(4): 713-724.
- Jolles D.D. (27 September 2011), The changing brain : neurocognitive development and training of working memory (Dissertatie. Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University). Supervisor(s): Rombouts S.A.R.B., Crone E.A. & Buchem M.A. van.
- Jolles D.D., Van Buchem M.A., Crone E.A. & Rombouts S.A.R.B. (2011), A comprehensive study of whole-brain functional connectivity in children and young adults, Cerebral Cortex 21(2): 385-391.
- Jolles D.D., Grol M.J., Buchem M.A. van, Rombouts S.A.R.B. & Crone E.A. (2010), Practice effects in the brain: changes in cerebral activation after working memory practice depend on task demands, NeuroImage 52(2): 658-668.