Olaf Borghi, MSc
I am a doctoral candidate in the Marie-Curie network“Interdisciplinary Perspectives of the Politics of Adolescence & Democracy” based at the Centre for the Politics of Feelings (Royal Holloway, University of London).
In my PhD, I investigate how political beliefs and attitudes develop, and the cognitive and emotional factors underlying this development. The developmental focus of my research works in two ways. First, I focus on adolescence and young adulthood – times of cognitive, emotional, and political change. Second, I study processes of belief development, examining how people incorporate new information based on their existing political stances, and different biases that affect political belief formation and updating. I also have a particular research interest into how young people feel about and imagine their future in times of multiple crises, and how this relates to their political attitudes.
If you are interested about my work, would like to chat or collaborate, do not hesitate to contact me!
Methodological interests and open science
My work has a strong methodological and interdisciplinary focus. I combine quantitative methods and tools from cognitive psychology, political science, and neuroscience, including Bayesian modelling, survey experiments, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). I also place a strong emphasis on open science, and commit to sharing all data and materials openly.