| This research stream focuses on
social and psychological effects of media messages and technologies
upon individuals. Faculty research often takes a multi-disciplinary
approach in applying theories of communication, psychology,
marketing, and other social sciences to investigate the influences
of media content and form on audience perceptions, attitudes,
memories, emotions and behaviors. Research methods are primarily
empirical, involving mostly experiments, surveys and content
analyses. |
| Current
faculty research focuses on three broad areas:
- The psychological processes underlying
uses and effects of new media technologies. Faculty and
graduate students conduct research on how formal/structural
features unique to the Internet (e.g., animation, interactivity,
download speed) affect online users' cognitions and emotions,
as well as their psychological processing of Website content
such as online news and advertising. An emerging area of
research examines new-media use among college students.
- Media portrayals of events, issues, and
social groups in news and entertainment. This area explores
how viewers select and respond to media content, and how
portrayals affect viewers' perceptions of social reality.
Current research projects include studies of viewers' selection
of entertainment, and studies examining news portrayals
of crime and how such portrayals activate stereotypes.
- Advertising strategies and effectiveness.
Research in this area focuses on audience responses to political
and product advertisements, and how strategies and message
factors might lead to changes in cognitions and attitudes.
Recent studies have investigated effects of such varied
factors as frequency and ad position on cognitive effectiveness
of Web advertisements.
|
Faculty
(links to their bios) |
| S.
Shyam Sundar
Co-Director Media Effects Research Laboratory
Mary
Beth Oliver
Co-Director Media Effects Research Laboratory
Frank Dardis
Dennis Davis
Fuyuan Shen
|
The Media Effects
Research Laboratory in the College houses state-of-the-art equipment
for research in media effects and related social science disciplines.
This lab allows for participant interaction with new technologies
and with mediated audio-visual content, and provides facilities
and equipment to collect psycho-physiological measures. More
information about this facility can be obtained at the web site
for the Media Effects Research Lab:
http://www.psu.edu/dept/medialab/
|
|
 |
| Researching media effects in
the Media Effects Research Laboratory. |
To request information about graduate programs, please e-mail
the office.
Email: commgpo@psu.edu
201 Carnegie Building
University Park, PA 16802-5101
Phone: (814) 865-3070
How To Apply
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