RESEARCH
I am an Associate Professor of Psychology. I do research in social, developmental, and political psychology. I study intergroup relations, empathy, anti-immigrant attitudes, diversity, civic and political behaviors, adolescent development, and mental health in academic contexts. Find my publications in full on ResearchGate.
RESEARCH OUTPUT
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Kunst, J., Besta, T., Jaśkiewicz, M., Gajda A., (…), Miklikowska, M. et al. (2026). The Psychology of Offensive and Defensive Intergroup Violence: Preregistered Insights from 58 countries. PNAS: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Ferreira D, Ferreira DF, Ferreira S, Rodrigues MA, Iacob CI, Tsybuliak N, Özer Ö., Rocha S., Miklikowska M., Popova A., et al. (2026). Web-Based, Hybrid, and In-Person Interventions for Mental Health Promotion Among Academic Staff: A Systematic Review. JMIR Preprints. doi:10.2196/preprints.91885
Miklikowska M. & Besta T. (under review). System-Disillusioned Youth Radicalize: The Role of Political Alienation in the Formation of Political Radicalism. Advances in Psychology.
Lasser, J., Mol, ST., Geles, K.,..Miklikowska M. et al. (2025). Sustainable Working Conditions in Academia Survey. German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies. https://ekoizpen-zientifikoa.ehu.eus/documentos/6813ec2ee6f3433a413715db
Celikkol, G., Sawicki, A., Brzezińska, D., Besta, T., Martiny, S. E., Miklikowska, M., & Kosakowska-Berezecka N. (2024) Does Gender Diversity in School and Cross-Gender Friendships Predict Collective Action Intentions for Gender Equality among Adolescent Boys in Norway and Poland. https://osf.io/v6dfp
Mastrotheodoros, S., Hillekens, J., Miklikowska, M., Palladino, B.E., Lionetti F. (2024). Family Functioning, Identity Commitments, and School Value among Ethnic Minority and Ethnic Majority Adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 53 (6), 1323-1340
Hannuksela V., Söderlund, P. & Miklikowska, M. (2024). Political interest, political ideology, and attitudes toward immigration. Frontiers in Political Science, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2024.1422364
Zagrean, I., Miklikowska M., & Barni, D. (2024). Essentialism facilitates anti-immigrant prejudice, reduces contact with immigrants, and explains parent-child similarity in anti-immigrant prejudice. Journal of Child and Family Studies. doi:10.1007/s10826-024-02855-6.
Eckstein K., Miklikowska, M., Serek, J., Noack, P., & Koerner, A. (2024). Activating effects of elections: Changes in young voters’ political engagement over the course of an election year. Frontiers in Political Science. doi:10.3398/fpos.2024.1302686
Hannuksela V., Söderlund, P. & Miklikowska, M. (2024). Political interest, political ideology, and attitudes toward immigration. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/vygra
Mastrotheodoros, S., Hillekens, J., Miklikowska, M., Palladino, E. B., Lionetti, F. (2024). Family functioning, identity commitments, and school adjustment among immigrant-origin and native Greek adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/9mzet
Thijs, J., Miklikowska, M., & Bosman, R. (2023). Motivations to respond without prejudice and ethnic outgroup attitudes in late childhood: Change and stability during a single school year. Developmental Psychology. doi.org/10.1037/dev0001565
Miklikowska, M., Tilton-Weaver, L., & Burk, W. J. (2022). With a little help from my empathic friends. The role of peers in the development of empathy in adolescence. Developmental Psychology. doi:10.1037/dev0001347
Miklikowska, M., Jasko, K. & Kudrnac, A. (2022). The making of a radical: The role of peer harassment in youth political radicalism. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. doi:10.1177/01461672211070420
Miklikowska, M., Rekker R., & Kudrnac, A. (2022). A little more conversation, a little less prejudice: The role of classroom political discussions for youth attitudes toward immigrants. Political Communication. doi:10.1080/10584609.2022.2032502
Eckstein, K., Miklikowska, M. & Noack, P. (2021). School matters: The effects of school experiences on youth’s attitudes toward immigrants. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. doi:10.1007/s10964-021-01497-x
Miklikowska, M., Eckstein, K., & Matera, J. (2021). All together now: Cooperative classroom climate and the development of youth attitudes toward immigrants. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development. doi:10.1002/cad.20414
Van Bommel, G., Thijs, J., & Miklikowska, M. (2020). Empathy and intergroup attitudes: The impact of the perceived peer norms. Journal of Social Psychology. doi:10.1080/00224545.2020.1840326
Tierney, W., Hardy J.H., Ebersole, C. R., Uhlmann, E. L., & Miklikowska M. (2020). Creative destruction in science. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Process. 161, 291-309. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.07.002
Bohman, A., & Miklikowska, M. (2020). Does classroom diversity improve intergroup relations? Short- and long-term effects of classroom diversity for cross-ethnic friendships and anti-immigrant attitudes in adolescence. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. doi:10.1177/1368430220941592
Miklikowska, M., Bohman, A., & Titzmann, P. (2019). Driven by context? The interrelated effects of parents, peers, classrooms on development of anti-immigrant attitudes. Developmental Psychology. doi:10.1037/dev0000809
Miklikowska, M. & Bohman, A. (2019) Bridging contexts: The interplay between parents, peers, and schools in explaining ethnic majority youth reactions to growing diversity. P. Titzmann & P. Jugert (Eds.) Youth in Multicultural Societies: New directions for future research and intervention (Chapter 13, pp. 209-227). Routlege.
Miklikowska, M., Thijs, J. & Hjerm, M. (2019). The impact of perceived teacher support on anti-immigrant attitudes from early to late adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. doi:10.1007/s10964-019-00990-8
Miklikowska, M. (2018). Empathy trumps prejudice: The longitudinal relation between empathy and anti-immigrant attitudes in adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 54, 703-717. doi:10.1037/dev0000474
Miklikowska, M. (2018). Tolerance. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Lifespan Human Development (pp. 2249-2250). Sage Publications Inc. doi:10.4135/9781506307633.n834
Miklikowska, M. (2017). Development of anti-immigrant attitudes in adolescence: The role of parents, peers, intergroup friendships, and empathy. British Journal of Psychology, 108, 626-648. doi:10.1111/bjop.12236
Miklikowska, M. (2016). Like parent, like child? Development of prejudice and tolerance in adolescence. British Journal of Psychology, 107, 95-116. doi:10.1111/bjop.12124
Miklikowska, M. (2016). The apple does not fall far from the tree? In E. Lundberg (Ed.) Anthology on tolerance (pp. 271-194). Forum for Living History. ISBN: 978-91-86261-61-0
Miklikowska, M. (2012). Democracy begins at home: Parenting, empathy and adolescents’ support for democratic values. Åbo: Åbo Akademis förlag.
Miklikowska, M. (2012). Psychological underpinnings of democracy. Personality and Individual Differences, 5, 603-608. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2012.04.032
Miklikowska, M., Duriez, B. & Soenens, B. (2011). Family roots of empathy-related characteristics: The role of perceived maternal and paternal need support in adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 47, 1342-1352. doi:10.1111/bjop.12124
Fry, P. D., & Miklikowska, M. (2012). Culture of peace. In P. T. Coleman & M. Deutsch (Eds). Psychological components of sustainable peace. (pp. 227-244). NY: Springer.
Miklikowska, M., & Fry, D. (2012). Natural born nonkillers: A critique of the killers- have-more-kids idea. In Daniel J. Christie & Joam. E. Pim (Eds.) Nonkilling Psychology. (pp. 43-70). Honolulu: Center for Global Nonkilling.
Miklikowska, M., & Hurme, H. (2011). Democracy begins at home: Democratic parenting and adolescents’ support for democratic values. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 8, 541-557. doi:10.1080/17405629.2011.576856
Miklikowska, M. & Fry, D. P. (2010). Values as protective factors against war and violence. Beliefs and Values, 2, 124-137.
RECENT FUNDED GRANT PROPOSALS
2023 – Swedish Research Council (VR). Positive Integration in Ethnically Diverse Schools. PI: Marta Miklikowska.
2020 – Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences (RJ). The role of school context in youth political activism. PI: Marta Miklikowska.
2016 – Swedish Research Council (VR). Learning to be prejudiced. PI: Marta Miklikowska.
RESEARCH COMMUNICATION
AUDIO-VISUAL COMMUNICATION
Guest on a podcast (Re)Searching Diversity
Flyer I designed for European Association of Developmental Psychology
Explainer video about my research made for Forum for Living History (in Swedish)
SELECTED TALKS
2024 – Guest speaker, Gdansk University, Department of Psychology. Organized by Tomasz Besta.
2022 – Guest interview at the course Business Research Methods, Amsterdam Business School, University of Amsterdam. Organised by Dr. Stefan Mol, 10 November.
2022 – Guest speaker, Leibnitz University Hannover, Department of Developmental Psychology, organized by Prof. Peter Titzmann. 1 November.
2021 – Guest of a podcast (Re)Searching Diversity. Hosted by Dr. Jana Vietze and Dr. Tugce Aral.
2021 – Guest speaker, University of Warsaw, Center for Research on Prejudice, organised by Dr. Saja Torunczyk-Ruiz. 7 April.
2020 – Guest speaker, University of Stirling, Cognition Research Group, organised by Dr. Anna K. Bobak and Dr. Ailsa E. Millen. 11 December.
2019 – Guest speaker, Expra Congress, University of Luxemburg. Organised by Dr. Andreia Costa and Dr.Isabelle Albert, 27 May.
2019 – Guest speaker, External Seminar of the European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations. Utrecht University, Utrecht, 18 November. Coordinated by Dr. Fenella Fleischmann.
2018 – Power Dynamics in Academia: Naming the Problems and Discussing Solutions. Panel discussion at the 16th European Association for Research on Adolescence (EARA), Ghent, September 12-15. Organised by Dr. Theo Klimstra and Dr. Loes Keijsers (Tilburg University).
SELECTED PUBLIC OUTREACH
2024 – Interview about my research on empathy for the German newspaper Die Zeit, Author: Tillmann Prufer.
2022 – Popular science article about my research. Empathic friends can provide the right kind of pressure. Psyche. Authors: Marta Miklikowska and Lauree Tilton-Weaver.
2020 – Popular science article about my research. How social contexts (parents, peers, school) shape youth attitudes toward immigrants. Medium. ISPP. June, 24. Author: Marta Miklikowska.
2019 – News article about my research in the Swedish Radio. Supportive teachers foster tolerance in students. Vetenskapsradion, June, 5.
2019 – Debate article in the Swedish national newspaper. Så kan skola främja tolerans hos elever. Aftonbladet, April, 19. Author: Marta Miklikowska.
2017 – Popular science article about my research. Timely study looks at the social influences possibly shaping teenagers’ prejudice towards immigrants. The British Psychological Society Research Digest, February, 2. Author: Christian Jarrett.
2017 – Popular science article about my research. How to Stop Teens from Fearing Immigrants? The Huffington Post, April, 6. Author: Jill Suttie.
SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
2025 – Miklikowska, M. & Besta T. Political Alienation and Youth Radical Political Acitvism. Annual Meeting of the International Society for Political Psychology. Prague, July 3 – July 6
2021 – Miklikowska, M., Bohman, A., Titzmann, P. The Role of Parents Peers, and School in the Development of Anti-Immigrant Atittudes in Adolescence. Society for Research on Child Development (virtual), April 7.
2020 – Miklikowska, M., Bohman, A., Titzmann, P. Can classroom diversity offset the negative effects of parental prejudice on Swedish majority youth’s attitudes toward immigrants? 43rd Annual Meeting of the International Society for Political Psychology. Virtual Conference.
2019 – Miklikowska, M. Bridging Contexts: The Interrelated Effects of Parents, Peers, Classrooms on Development of Anti-Immigrant Attitudes in Adolescence. 21st Meeting of European Association of Social Psychology on “The evolution, emergence, development, and maintenance of stereotypes”, castle Eyba/Saalfeld, June, 27.
2018 – Miklikowska, M. & Bohman, A. The Role of Parents, Peers, and Classrooms in Development of Anti-Immigrant Attitudes in Adolescence. Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence, Ghent, September 12-15.
2018 – Miklikowska, M. Can Empathy and Cross-Ethnic Friendships Counteract Development of Prejudice in Adolescence? 25th Biennial Congress of the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, Gold Coast, July 15-19.