| Content & Summaries |
Essays
Dr. David Giles, a leading media psychologist researcher from the Winchester University examines what he considers are three major areas of interest for the field in this article: parasocial interaction (celebrity worship); media reframing, and Internet communities.
Dr. Ellen Derwin examines the impact on critical thinking of distance versus face to face classroom instruction. Citation: Derwin, E. (2009). Critical Thinking in Online Vs. Face-to-Face Higher Education. Media Psychology Review. 2(1). Retrieved [insert retrieval date] from http://mprcenter.org/mpr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=209&Itemid=164
Cognitive Psychology and the Small Screen Bonnie Buckner, a media consultant and doctoral students, applies theories from cognitive psychology to produce for the “small screen.” In her paper, Buckner examines how material produced for the technologies such as iPods and phones requires new approaches to understanding how individuals process and understand information.
Citation: Giudici, M. (2008) Media Ethics: The Coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Media Psychology Review 1 (1). Retrieved [insert retrieval date*] from http://mprcenter.org/mpr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=122
Dr. Cheryl Olson and Dr. Lawrence Kutner examine the complexities of using electronic media can provide opportunities to educate the public on science concepts and the nature of scientific inquiry. They describe the need for sophisticated approaches to such programs and the evolution of a multifaceted project directed at both the general public, using local television news and the Internet, as well as a complementary program for journalists to help them report on science more accurately and effectively.
Understanding Video Gaming’s Engagement: Flow and Its Application to Interactive Media Dr. Erik Gregory, Executive Director of the Media Psychology Research Center and faculty member at Harvard Medical School, discusses how story telling helps us understand our world. Because video gaming is a modern way of telling stories, Dr. Gregory shows how the positive psychology of Flow provides a framework for understanding how individuals engage in interactive narrative and virtual storytelling. This has implications for understanding media's popularity and for the development of useful educational interactive media.
Hanging Out and Growing up with Social Media David Peck, a higher education administrator and doctoral student, examines how social media is impacting child development and provides first hand insight to this experience with reflections from his own family experience. He weaves academic literature with a personal narrative that provides insight into how technology has become a family member.Citation: Peck, D. (2008). Hanging Out and Growing up with Social Media. Media Psychology Review. 1 (1). Retrieved [insert retrieval date*] from http://mprcenter.org/mpr/index.php?view=article&catid=24%3Asocialnetworks&id=186%3Apeckhanging-out&option=com_content&Itemid=28
Suggestions for Addressing the Increased Emphasis on Visual Imagery over Aural Messages Dr. Jim Schnell from Ohio Dominican University reflects on how an increased emphasis on visual imagery over aural messages is changing the way humans receive information. He makes his argument by providing insight into how current political messages are crafted and received by their audiences.Citation: Schnell, J. (2008). Suggestions for Addressing the Increased Emphasis on Visual Imagery over Aural Messages. Media Psychology Review. 1 (1) Retrieved [insert retrieval date*] from http://mprcenter.org/mpr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=36&Itemid=123 Research
Benefits of Virtual World Engagement: Implications for Marginalized Gay and Lesbian People Dr. Jon Cabiria applies the Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions to the virtual world of Second Life to explore the potential for virtual worlds as a safe harbor for identity exploration, particularly for marginalized populations. Through interviews and narratives, he looked for indications of positive change in real life that are promoted by experiences in Second Life.Citation: Cabiria, J. (2008). Benefits of Virtual World Engagement: Implications for Marginalized Gay and Lesbian People. Media Psychology Review. 1 (1). Retrieved [insert retrieval date*] from http://mprcenter.org/mpr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=167&Itemid=120
Applying an Attitude Change Theory in an Eastern Setting Dr. Leo Chan carries the western critical viewing skills project, “Taking Charge of Your TV,” to an eastern audience in Hong Kong, testing whether it might benefit families there as well. The broader objective was to examine how well a Western media education instrument, the critical viewing skills project, could be applied in the Hong Kong media environment.
Understanding Online Audiences: New Research Approaches Dr. Manuel José Damásio and Carlos Poupa used multidimensional scaling (MDS) and cluster analysis techniques to build a spatial map that represents an important set of Internet activities. By grouping them into different clusters and identifying different dimensions, they establish a framework for better understanding users attitudes towards the medium and media culture.
Kill Bandits, Collect Gold or Save the Dying: The Effects of Playing a Prosocial Video Game Dr. Darcia Narvaez, with a student research team from the University of Notre Dame, turn away from the violence of video game content to look at how pro-social content can be introduced to this popular technological past time. They find that playing these games develops prosocial schemas and increases the likelihood of thinking, feeling, and behaving in socially constructive ways.
What is Media Psychology? A Qualitative Inquiry Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center, tackles the task of defining media psychology by examining the results of a qualitative analysis of APA Division 46 member perceptions. The emerging themes revealed two opposing views of media psychology: 1) psychologists who use media to disseminate psychological information, and 2) using psychology as the basis for the analysis of media use, development, and application. The differences in perceptions were correlated with the age of the respondents; older members were more likely to subscribe to the view of a psychologist or psychological material in the media. Videos
Resisting the Drums of War
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Distance Learning and Critical Thinking
Media Ethics: The Coverage of Hurricane Katrina 
Neverwinter Nights
