Research

Parasocial Relationship Project: These two studies examine the parasocial relationships that viewers have with online influencers using a series of survey questions. The first study focuses on the self-esteem and self-confidence aspect of parasocial relationships, testing mental health outcomes by categorizing influencers and influencing types into groups. The second study uses attachment theory to characterize influencers as a way to study how viewers perceive them. 

Researchers: Wanlun Chang, Kaitlin Cashin, Amjad Alghamdi, Juliana Marcello, Sogol Khermandar

Social Media Misinformation Project: This line of research comprises of a series of experimental studies conducted in the lab with and without eye tracking technology. The first study uses inoculation theory to design different misinformation correction messages and tests their effectiveness in the context of HPV vaccination on Twitter. Another project uses communication theories such as framing and exemplification to evaluate HPV misinformation correction messages on Facebook. Humor appeals are also used as a message strategy to combat climate change misinformation and develop its effective correction strategies.  

Researchers: Nate Brophy 

Public Health Campaign Message Effectiveness Project: This project investigates the relationships among visual attention, cognitive and affective message responses, and different cessation-related outcomes including readiness to quit, intention to quit, and intention to seek further information. An experiment was designed with four different ads from the ongoing Every Try Counts (ETC) campaign as message stimuli. The ETC campaign is a public health campaign designed and implemented by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The study recruited current adult smokers as target participants, and their eye gaze patterns were captured by an eye tracker to understand visual attention patterns and also to predict message responses and cessation-related behavioral intentions.

Researchers: Nate Brophy, Christian Seiter, Adebanke Loveth Adebayo

Climate Change Health Impact Project: This project examines individuals’ visual attention patterns to a series of messages regarding negative consequences of climate change on public health with eye tracking technology. Message stimuli include informational posters about health impacts of extreme weather events, droughts, mosquitos and ticks, and mental health challenges.  

Researchers: Katherine Hawkins, Kim Mai