Jana Dreston

Jana Dreston is a Researcher and doctoral candidate at the University of Duisburg-Essen's Chair of Psychological Processes of Education in Social Media, specializing in the psychological dimensions of digital political communication. Her work bridges cognitive psychology and media studies to examine how social media exposure shapes political cognition.

Academic Background:

• Master of Science in Psychology (Research-Oriented), University of Cologne (2018-2021), with specializations in Media and Cognitive Psychology
• Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf (2014-2018)
• Erasmus Semester, Jagiellonian University, Krakow (2016-2017)

Research Focus: Dr. Dreston's work critically examines science communication efficacy in digital spaces, political education mechanisms through social algorithms, and memory processes in online political engagement. Her innovative approach combines experimental cognitive methods with real-world social media data to uncover how incidental exposure to political content creates qualitatively different knowledge structures than intentional engagement, ultimately influencing voting behavior through distinct cognitive pathways.

Publication Impact: Her 2023 Frontiers in Psychology article established foundational evidence linking social media exposure patterns to political outcomes, demonstrating that incidental exposure correlates with fragmented political knowledge while intentional engagement predicts coherent belief structures and stronger voting intention. This work pioneers methodological integration of cognitive psychology metrics into political communication research.

Awards and Recognition:

• Fulbright Scholarship for U.S.-Germany research exchange (2023)
• Zeit Stiftung 'Zia – Visible Women in Science' Fellowship (2022-2023)
• C-SEB Student Award for outstanding research contributions (University of Cologne, 2021)

Professional Leadership: As Editor-in-chief of in-mind Magazine since 2024, she directs international science communication efforts while maintaining active research collaborations across North America and Europe. Her current Fulbright-supported work examines cross-cultural differences in algorithmic political literacy, funded through institutional and fellowship resources.

Research Environment: Based at the University of Duisburg-Essen's interdisciplinary social sciences hub, her work connects cognitive psychology laboratories with digital media research infrastructures to investigate real-world political communication phenomena through controlled experimental paradigms.