Supporting policy with scientific evidence

Anna Knorr is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Doctoral Candidate in the IP-PAD network (Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Politics of Adolescence and Democracy), based at Jagiellonian University. Her research focuses on the psychological mechanisms underlying radicalization and extremism, particularly how motivational needs and cognitive rigidity shape ideological commitment and political violence.

She integrates perspectives from political psychology and cognitive science, applying predictive coding frameworks to study belief formation and resistance. Her research combines longitudinal and experimental methods to examine how motivational and cognitive processes contribute to politically extreme ideologies, attitudes, and behaviors – particularly in adolescence.

As part of the IP-PAD network, Anna contributes to a broader interdisciplinary effort to examine how young people engage with democratic values, and how political attitudes take shape, polarize, and solidify during formative years.

In addition to her academic work, she completed a secondment at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), where she contributed to work on belief rigidity and the role of digital information environments in shaping political cognition. Her broader goal is to bridge research and policy to support evidence-based strategies that counter radicalization and strengthen democratic resilience.