Profile

Professor Hanna Bednarek is a psychologist. Her main research interests include cognitive psychology, aviation psychology, and public relations. She holds Master’s degrees in psychology and philosophy.

Professor Bednarek specializes in cognitive psychology, in particular perception, attention, working memory, and spatial orientation and disorientation, especially in pilots. She researches the efficacy of cognitive training, the role of optical illusion in aviation, sport, architecture, and fashion. She is also interested in aviation safety, cognitive processes in advertising, and public relations.

She collaborates with the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology at the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) and the Military Institute of Aviation Medicine in Warsaw. She is a member of the European Association for Aviation Psychology. She co-founded and, for five years, held the position of Program Director of one of the first commercial radio stations in Poland. She authored numerous publications, including the following books: Czy piloci ulegają złudzeniom percepcyjnym? Poznawcze uwarunkowania dezorientacji przestrzennej (Do Pilots Experience Optical Illusions? Cognitive Determinants of Spatial Disorientation) (2011), and Sztuka budowania wizerunku w mediach. Podręcznik menedżera, polityka i trenera public relations (The Art of Image Building in the Media. A Handbook for Managers, Politicians, and PR Coaches) (2005). Her most recent publications discuss cognitive mechanisms underlining susceptibility to optical illusions and how the working memory training decreases this susceptibility.

Professor Bednarek is a doctoral thesis advisor (so far 3 students), and Master’s thesis advisor (so far over 200 students).

At SWPS University, she teaches classes in cognitive processes, and leads a seminar on the psychology of cognitive processes. She is also a graduate thesis advisor.