Resources – Media Psychology Research Center

Chatbots and Kids: What Parents Need to Know Now June 27, 2025
Here's how to talk to your child about AI, starting in preschool. A free downloadable Parent Guide with tips and conversation starters is included. Chatbots are computer programs that use AI to tell stories, offer advice, provide information, or chat with you using text, voice, or video. Popular tools include ChatGPT, Snap's My AI, Replika, […]
Pamela Rutledge
Kids and Chatbots: When AI Feels Like A New Best Friend June 27, 2025
Kids are forming emotional bonds with chatbots. With digital literacy and parental guidance, kids can use chatbots to support learning and creativity. Key Points When she was younger, my daughter loved reading Warrior Cats, a series of books about the dramatic adventures of wild cat clans with everything you’d expect in a good fantasy: prophecies, heroes, […]
Pamela Rutledge
Hooked on True Crime: Why We Can’t Stop May 14, 2025
True crime media isn’t just a guilty pleasure—it can fulfill deep emotional and cognitive needs, especially for women. Key Points There’s something oddly engaging about listening to a stranger’s murder while unloading the dishwasher or walking the dog. That’s not a judgment—it’s an observation. The popularity of true crime media, especially among women, has become […]
Pamela Rutledge

Ubiquitous technology means we need a better understanding of:

- Digital and Transmedia Storytelling and constructing and sharing additive narratives across media channels
-Participatory and collaborative media
On-demand information access
-The use of technology to promote positive experiences through cognitive and emotional engagement: positive mood inducement, sense of self-efficacy, social connectedness
-Immersive Environments and new arenas for expression and social modeling of new attitudes, skills, social roles, and personal identity
-Human relationships mediated by technology
-Tools and environments for learning across the lifespan
-Psychological, perceptual and cognitive aspects of using technology and understanding usability