Senior Research Fellows – Media Psychology Research Center

FaceTime, Voice, or Text: What Strengthens Relationships Most? February 18, 2025
KEY POINTS Valentine’s Day seems like a good time to talk about social connection. A lot of things influence how we like to connect with others, from personality and context to the closeness of a relationship. Our formative years also affect what we view as normal, anchoring our perspective and creating an inherent bias in […]
Pamela Rutledge
AI’s Invisible Influence: How It Can Shape Our Thoughts and Actions February 5, 2025
AI influences our decisions and beliefs—and we even don’t notice—by taking advantage of our innate responses to novelty, interactivity, and social validation. My approach to new technology has always been, “It’s not about the tools; it’s about what people are trying to do with the tools.” (Ask my students.) However, with AI, I began to […]
Pamela Rutledge
7 Anti-Stress Tips for Political News Junkies January 9, 2025
Feeling anxious about the incoming administration? Can't stop reading the headlines and fearing the worst? Here are seven tips to help you protect your well-being in a contentious political environment. I have written about political stress and doomscrolling before, but I decided to revisit them because these are strategies we need for the long haul. […]
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