I am an Assistant Professor of Communication Technology in the School of Communication at The Ohio State University where I direct Chronos Laboratory. I received my Ph.D. in Mass Communications at Indiana University where I was affiliated with the Institute for Communication Research.
My research focuses on interactions between people and media content and technologies with an overarching interest in how social context influences emotion, cognition, and behavior. I approach my work drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives (i.e. communication science, evolutionary biology, psychology, gender studies). I use quantitative (e.g. content analysis, survey, experimental) and qualitative (e.g. in-depth interview) methods and primarily situate my study in video game contexts. My research fits into two topical areas. The first of those is investigating phenomena related to sex and gender in video games. I am interested in the messages video games share about sex and gender, how players process that information, and whether (and when) those messages influence individual and group level behaviors. My second area of interest is in how people engage with emotional content in video games and how the addition of control in the digital environment influences emotional processes.
My published work appears in the Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Computers in Human Behavior, Communication Monographs, and the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. I have shared my research at domestic and international conference events for the International Communication Association, National Communication Association, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Broadcast Education Association.
I have taught courses on electronic media advertising, gender in media, and communication technology. I served as the 2016 Committee Chair for the ICA Game Studies Division preconference in Tokyo, Japan and have filled a variety of service roles since 2011 at the departmental, university, discipline, and community levels. I am currently the PR Director for the Game Studies Division.