Annie Dooley

Email: dooley.129@osu.edu

Annie's research interests include the cognitive and emotional processing of media, well-being, and interactivity. Her work examines how changes in mental health drive media selection and how characteristics of media such as interactivity and challenge can improve psychological states. Additionally, her ongoing research investigates the mechanisms of meaning-making and emotional dynamics during and after media exposure. Her research appears in general and specialty communication journals such as Communication Research, Media Psychology, and Media and Communication. 

Advisor: Dr. Teresa Lynch

Kara Fort

Email: fort.40@osu.edu

My research focuses on understanding how and why individuals find certain types of information or evidence persuasive . I approach this question from three main angles: (1) how message features may spur metacognitive experiences, such as feelings of ease or difficulty, that impact information evaluations, (2) why people hold misperceptions and how they defend their false beliefs, and (3) how beliefs about knowledge, facts, and truth impact how we evaluate and understand information and evidence. My research works to integrate theories of metacognition, information processing, persuasion, epistemology, and social identity. You can learn more at karasfort.github.io

Co-Advisors: Dr. Kelly Garrett and Dr. Hillary Shulman

Jane Hu

Email: hu.2831@osu.edu

Jane is a computational communication scholar who uses computational, cognitive, and dynamical modeling to understand how people process information, communicate, make decisions, and influence one another. Her current research focuses on the changing dynamics of political communication in digital environments, particularly how AI reshapes political discussion and how online political interactions influence attitudes and behaviors over time. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Communication.

Advisor: Dr. Joyce Wang

Jiaqi Qin

Email: qin.661@osu.edu 

My research focuses on how emerging communication technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), and social networks shape social support processes and relational and health outcomes. My current work situates interactions with AI companions within people’s broader social environments, examining how social network ties influence engagement and conversational dynamics with AI companions and how these interactions shape well-being and social relationships. Methodologically, I employ quantitative and computational approaches, including experiments, longitudinal surveys, social network analysis, and LLM-assisted content analysis. My research has been published in peer-reviewed communication and interdisciplinary journals, including Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Health Communication, Journal of Medical Internet Research, and International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction.

Advisor: Dr. Jingbo Meng

Kate Stewart

Email: stewart.2337@osu.edu

My research focuses on agents of socialization that adolescents turn to as they navigate developmental issues like puberty, gender roles, romantic relationships, and body image concerns. My past work has examined issues like the absence of puberty markers in popular coming-of-age movies. I have also looked at how boys and men from 13 to 50 years old are impacted by exposure to idealized male protagonists in action movies. My current work looks at how adolescent boys and their fathers conceptualize masculine ideals amid shifting societal messages surrounding masculinity, and the rise of the online manosphere. I most often use quantitative methods (e.g., content analysis, experiments) and draw on theories from psychology (e.g., social comparison theory, social learning theory).

Advisor: Dr. Alex Bonus

Julia Wilson

Email: wilson.4758@osu.edu 

Julia’s research is situated at the intersection of positive media psychology, narrative persuasion, meaningful entertainment experiences, and wellbeing. Drawing on theories of media effects, narrative persuasion, selective exposure, and human development, she investigates how individuals use media to navigate challenging life experiences and how those media experiences shape wellbeing and prosocial outcomes across the lifespan. Her work spans adults, children, and clinical samples across multiple countries using a broad methodological toolkit including experimental design, content analysis, ecological momentary analysis, meta-analysis, and thematic analysis. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Human Communication Research, Media Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Early Childhood Research Quarterly.   

Advisor: Dr. Emily Moyer-Gusé