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