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Researcher Profile: Hilkka Grahn

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During the fall of 2024, Hilkka Grahn is a visiting researcher at the Psychological Defence Research Institute (PDRI) at Lund University. Hilkka is a postdoctoral researcher (KILPI project) and senior lecturer at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland.

With an academic background in cognitive science, Hilkka Grahn's doctoral research focused on driver distraction and inattention – a topic that may seem unrelated to psychological defence. However, it is grounded in similar cognitive processes, particularly attention, within the safety-critical context of traffic. In her current focus on Security and Strategic Analysis, these insights are applied to a different security context, exploring cognitive processes and disinformation.  

While at PDRI, Hilkka examines the similarities and differences between cognitive security and psychological defense, and how these concepts can be quantitatively measured. She is also exploring how the primary research areas and methods of cognitive science can contribute to advancing research on disinformation and related topics. She aims to develop a quantitative instrument for measuring cognitive security at the individual level. The work at PDRI and future collaborations with its researchers after her visit will provide an excellent foundation for this endeavour, bridging cognitive science with practical applications in security and defence. Ultimately, Hilkka’s research aims to generate deeper insights into how individuals perceive malign information influence, fostering resilience against disinformation and enhancing psychological defence strategies.

Hilkka is part of the KILPI project. Read her research profile on the University of Jyväskylä's website