Dr Anna Stefaniak

Lecturer

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2051
Email: as612@st-andrews.ac.uk

Research areas

I am a social psychologist specializing in psychology of intergroup relations. Most of my research focuses on: (1) sources of and methods for reducing intergroup bias; (2) the role of collective emotions and ways in which people relate to the history of their social groups in shaping current intergroup attitudes; and (3) the psychological underpinnings of negative and positive intergroup behaviour, e.g., hate crime, collective violence, and collective action. The overarching goal of this research is to employ social psychological knowledge to understand and address challenges burdening diverse societies. In addition, I am currently developing a line of work on the role of social identities (e.g., belonging to different social groups) in shaping people’s health outcomes with a particular interest on recovery from addiction.

PhD supervision

Somidha Ray

Selected publications

Open access
A dual route to distrust of atheists: perceiving atheists to lack individualizing moral foundations and an external moralizing agent heightens Christians’ distrust
Wormley, A. S., Stefaniak, A., Hollingshead, S. & Wohl, M. J. A., 7 May 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. OnlineFirst, p. 1-20 20 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open access
Strong leaders, not strongmen: how concern for polarization and collective nostalgia shape leader preference
Wohl, M. J. A., Stefaniak, A., Ungson, N. D. & Packer, D., 1 Apr 2026, In: European Journal of Social Psychology. 56, 3, p. 601-621 21 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open access
The psychology of offensive and defensive intergroup violence: preregistered insights from 58 countries
Kunst, J. R., Besta, T., Jaśkiewicz, M., Gajda, A. N., Sanden, M., Flatebø, M. M., Adebayo, S. O., Adonis, M., Agyemang, C. B., Boateng, R. A., Akfirat, S. A., Al-Adawi, S., Ambrosio, C., Anjum, G., Aruta, J. J. B. R., Austers, I., Barry, O., Bastian, B., Becker, M. & Bender, M. & 93 others, Benningstad, N. C. G., Borinca, I., Celikkol, G., Čeněk, J., Chaleeraktrakoon, T., Chobthamkit, P., Choi, H.-S., Choi, S., Ciordas, P., Coenen, A.-C., Cupta, A., de Zoysa, P., Dhakal, S., Duncan, L. E., Elcil, T., Eskiili, B., Etchezahar, E., Franc, R., Galdi, S., Garvanova, M., Gill, P., Gnisci, A., Gómez, A., Gómez Yepes, T., Grossmann, I., Haines, E. A., Haka, F., Hameiri, B., Hamzah, I., Helmy, M., Imhoff, R., Kamble, S., Kazarovytska, F., Kende, A., Khachatryan, N., Kimel, S. Y., Klein, J. W., Komisarof, A., Lacko, D., Lajunen, T. J., Lášticová, B., López-Calle, C., López-López, W., Kalebić Maglica, B., Malinauskas, R., Manusyan, S., Martskvishvili, K., Messanga, G. A., Miklikowska, M., Minic, J., Mohorić, T., Mottola, F., Mula, S., Musso, P., Ndiaye, D. G., Neto, F., Neto, J., Ngom Dieng, L., Obioma, I. F., Olonisakin, T. T., Ozer, S., Panagiotopoulou, P., Pastwa-Wojciechowska, B., Pavlopoulos, V., Pavlović, T., Petrovska, I., Piotrowski, A., Poslon, X. D., Pummerer, L., Raina, M., Ramos-Diaz, J., Robertsson, V., Rottweiler, B., Sam, D. L., Scardigno, R., Schulmeyer, M. K., Stefaniak, A., Studzinska, A., Sullman, M. J. M., Szulc, M., Nemboué, W. T., Tair, E., Tausch, N., Thagunna, N. S., Thomas, E. F., Ungaretti, J., Van Laar, C., Vazne, Ž., Vázquez, A., Villanueva-Alvarado, J., Wlodarczyk, A., Yogeeswaran, K. & Obaidi, M., 31 Mar 2026, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 123, 13, e2535665123.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open access
Towards a habit-rupture model of intergroup contact in everyday settings
Paolini, S., Dixon, J., Kotzur, P. F., Friehs, M.-T., Bracegirdle, C., Lauterbach, A., Köbrich, J., Graf, S., Kauff, M., Stefaniak, A., Wright, S. C., Barlow, F. K., Luebbering, K. & Harwood, J., 21 Jan 2026, In: Nature Reviews Psychology. 5, p. 136–151 16 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open access
When memory meets anxiety: Collective nostalgia (civic- and homogeneity-focused) and collective angst shape strong leader support and voting behaviour
Wohl, M., Tabri, N., Stefaniak, A., Ungson, N. & Packer, D., 24 Apr 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Memory, Mind & Media. 5, e7.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open access
Double standards in the treatment of refugees: why are people more likely to help Ukrainian compared to Syrian refugees?
Stefaniak, A., Echterhoff, G., Tausch, N., Herzog, M., Groß, J., Thölmann, C. & Becker, J., 21 Oct 2025, In: Revista de Psicología Social. 40, 2-3, p. 219-265
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open access
Non-criminal justice interventions for countering cognitive and behavioural radicalisation amongst children and adolescents: a systematic review of effectiveness and implementation
Lewis, J., Marsden, S., Hewitt, J., Squires, C. & Stefaniak, A., Dec 2025, In: Campbell Systematic Reviews. 21, 4, 80 p., e70079.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open access
Perceptions of gender role discontinuity and collective nostalgia for traditional gender relations shape men’s support for gender equality
Stefaniak, A., Wohl, M. J. A. & Higgison, K., 8 May 2025, In: Sex Roles. 91, 37.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Pro- and anti-LGBT activism as the case of system-challenging and system-supporting collective action
Górska, P., Malinowska, K., Stefaniak, A. & Lipowska, K., 3 Jul 2025, In: Psychology & Sexuality. 16, 3, p. 808-824 17 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open access
PROTOCOL - Non‐criminal justice interventions for countering cognitive and behavioural radicalisation amongst children and adolescents: a systematic review of effectiveness and implementation
Lewis, J., Marsden, S., Stefaniak, A. & Hewitt, J., 1 Mar 2025, In: Campbell Systematic Reviews. 23 p., e70020.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

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