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Media Psychology Research Center

Media Psychology Research Center

Media Psychology: The Psychology of Media Behavior

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Dr. Erik M. Gregory

You are here: Home / Who We Are / Dr. Erik M. Gregory

Dr. Erik M. Gregory, Executive Director

Dr. Erik M. Gregory is the founder and Executive Director of MPRC. He received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He completed his clinical work at the Tavistock Clinic in London, where he treated refugee children suffering from trauma. His post-doctoral studies took place at Harvard Medical School (McLean Hospital).

He also received master’s degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Human Development and Psychology and the Harvard Kennedy School Of Government in Public Leadership as a Littaeur Fellow. At the Kennedy School, he examined 21st Century models of leadership and followership and their intersections with psychology.  He most recently completed an Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership from the MIT Sloan School of Management. 

Dr. Gregory worked on the television programs “Sesame Street” and “Sid the Science Kid” to promote an interest in learning and in particular science. He was also involved with Ron Suskind’s start-up called Sidekicks that uses mediated technology to support learning and engagement for children with autism. 

Dr. Gregory has served as a Fellow with the National Cancer Institute in Hawaii, a Spencer Fellow with the Spencer Foundation, and Visiting Scholar at the University of Chicago.

He is a founding member of the Global LBTQI+ Human Rights Program at the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School; a board member of the Humanist Association at Harvard and MIT; and a contributor to Humanists International.

Dr. Gregory can be reached at egregory@mprcenter.org or at erikgregory.com

Sidebar

FOR THE PRESS

Dr. Pamela Rutledge is available for comments on the psychological and practical impact of technology, and media on people and society. Send an email!

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RSS RECENT POSTS

  • Do You Want Your Kids Arguing Like a Politician? April 20, 2026
    U.S. politics teaches kids to handle conflict by fighting dirty, not listening and responding with respect. Those lessons won’t serve them well in their own relationships. Key Points: I’m deeply concerned about the role models politics is giving our kids today. My last post, “Why U.S. Politics Looks Like a Bad Marriage,” didn’t tackle how […]
    Pamela Rutledge
  • U.S. Politics Look Like a Bad Marriage April 20, 2026
    Psychologist John Gottman identified four communication patterns that predict divorce; all are present in U.S. politics today. Key Points For most of its history, the United States has resembled a quarrelsome but committed couple. We bicker, disagree, and occasionally give each other the silent treatment, but underneath it all there has been a shared sense […]
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  • We’re Being Played: Propaganda, Memes and War April 1, 2026
    Packaging war in meme-driven narratives uses cultural cues to turn combat into entertainment, normalizing violence and influencing how future conflicts are perceived.Key pointsMemetic warfare uses pop culture symbols, like Call of Duty and Captain America, to frame conflict as heroic and morally right.Social media is flooded with memes that glorify military strikes, trivializing violence, and […]
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The Media Psychology Research Center (MPRC) is an independent organization dedicated to psychological science as the foundatio of media and technology research, assessment, and education.Our mission is to promote the positive development and use of media and technology.

RESEARCH TO PRACTICE

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

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