Associate Professor Graham Dixon researches science and risk communication with a specific focus on persuasion, information processing
and motivated reasoning. Dixon’s current research program explores how people misperceive their social environment and how that misperception can affect their willingness to speak out.
Dixon said his research focus came from his strong desire to understand why people form beliefs that are inconsistent with scientific evidence.
“I really enjoy the idea of translating the work so that it can lead to better outcomes in both policy and society in general. That's something that always drives my passion for the work that I do in communication,” said Dixon.
The goal of his research is to address some of the challenges that society faces in society with misinformation or disinformation. He hopes to promote healthy behaviors and improve the way we communicate science and risk.
“One of the things that I love about being in the field of communication is that you know we do theory-driven research, but with the aim of advancing some sort of practice or having a conversation with policymakers,” said Dixon.
Dixon said that the most exciting part of his research is when he does not receive the hypothesized effect. While this can be frustrating, he said it forces a deeper thinking, which is the point of science. It also leads to new studies.
Dixon has been published 30 times. Most recently, his piece “The complexity of pluralistic ignorance in Republican climate change policy support in the United States” was published in Communications Earth & Environment with several co-authors.
A highlight for Dixon is his collaborative project titled Public Opinion Perceptions, Private Support and Public Actions of US Adults Regarding Gun Safety Policy published by JAMA Network.
“I'm most proud of this one because I think the data quality was probably the best and it also served as that seed that really helped generate this new set of research ideas that I'm now pursuing,” said Dixon.
Dixon received his Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from The University of Texas at Austin and his Master of Science and PhD in Communication from Cornell University. While in graduate school, he received The Lorie Eason Prize for Top Paper from the Association for Education and Analysis of Mass Communication.
After earning his PhD, Dixon spent three years as an assistant professor at Washington State University Murrow College of Communication before coming to Ohio State in 2017.
“Ohio State’s School of Communication is recognized as one of the top graduate programs in communication. It’s also recognized as one of the top undergraduate programs in the world,” said Dixon.
Dixon feels the way he does research meshes well with the culture of the program at Ohio State. He appreciates the faculty and staff he works with and appreciates the resources that support his research.
“I found a home here and I'm so lucky to say that,” said Dixon. “It's something that I don't want to take for granted, but it's an honor to have university tenure here and to be able to get up every day and know that I can pursue really exciting questions and research with the full support of the School of Communication.”
Article by student Jadyn McRitchie
