The Media Psychology Blog

I had a question from a reporter this morning about post-election withdrawal.  What are all those people who have been “addicted” to websites, TV, and text messaging to follow the election going to do with themselves?
Call me an optimist, but I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.  First of all “addicted” is a [...]

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The study “Teenagers: A Generation Unplugged” by the wireless trade association CTIA and Harris Interactive reports that cell phones have become a vital part of a teen’s identity. The coolness of the cell phone is considered a marker for popularity and status and having a phone is essential to a teen’s social life. (While [...]

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I think it’s important to look at human behavior and human interaction with media from a broad perspective. Findings from biology, neuroscience, and evolution can challenge us to rethink traditional theoretical heuristics from psychology (and elsewhere) that inform our judgments about everything from media use and development to assessing media experience. Adriaan called [...]

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In new study out of Vanderbilt, reported in Science Daily “Mind’s Eye’ Influences Visual Perception,” researchers Pearson, Tong, and Clifford report that what we imagine (see in our “mind’s eye) directly impacts our visual perception. (The actual article appears in Current Biology). This is the first research that shows that the images we make [...]

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Okay, I have to admit I am a gadget-freak. My husband continually gives me grief because I can justify any technology purchase by saying “but I’m a Media Psychologist. I HAVE to know PERSONALLY how it feels to use these things.” So, right after I got the Wii and the iPod touch, [...]

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