Lemont Furnace, PA 15456
Biography
Dr. Robinson is an Assistant Professor of Corporate Communication. She researches in the areas of health and mass communication, publishing in flagship journals, including Communication Research and Human Communication Research.
Research Interests
Health communication, media effects, narrative persuasion, selective exposure, social cognitive theory, sleep, body image.
Publications
Social Comparison in Narrative Persuasion: When Struggling Characters Serve as Motivation , Communication Reports [Impact Factor: 1.2] - March 1, 2024
How Activated Self-Concepts Influence Selection and Processing of Body-Positive Narratives, Media Psychology [Impact Factor: 4.2] - November 6, 2023
Collaborator: Megan Vendemia, Co-Author
Instilling belief in the ability to change for the better: Narrative persuasion for sleep hygiene self-efficacy, Health Communication [Impact Factor: 3.198] - 2022
Collaborator: Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author
Promoting Body Positivity Through Stories: How Protagonist Body Size And Esteem Influence Readers’ Self-Concepts, Body Image (Impact Factor: [6.406] - September, 2022
Collaborator: Megan Vendemia, Co-Author
The role of affect in selective exposure to media messages - January 1, 2022
Collaborator: Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author
“Affective News” & attitudes: A multi-topic study of attitude impacts from political news and fiction, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly [Impact Factor: 3.431] - December 1, 2021
Collaborators: Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author; Rebecca Frazer, Co-Author; Emily Schutz, Co-Author
Narratives’ impacts on political attitudes: Do signaling of persuasive intent and fictionality matter? , Communication Studies [2.0 CiteScore (Scopus)] - July 5, 2021
Collaborators: Rebecca Frazer, Co-Author; Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author
News as entertainment format: Applying affective disposition theory and the affective news extended model - March 1, 2021
Collaborator: Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author
Peers versus pros: Confirmation bias in selective exposure to user-generated versus mass media messages and its consequences, Mass Communication and Society [Impact Factor: 3.309] - 2020
Collaborators: Axel Westerwick, Co-Author; Daniel Sude, Co-Author; Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author
Seeking inspiration through health testimonials: Improving mother’s self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and behaviors in handling children’s sleep behavior, Health Communication [Impact Factor: 3.198] - September 16, 2020
Collaborator: Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author
Beauty or business queen--How young women select media messages to reinforce their possible future selves, Communication Research [Impact Factor: 3.64] - April, 2020
Collaborators: Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author; Laura Willis, Co-Author; Kate Luong, Co-Author
"Pick and choose” opinion climate: How browsing of political messages shapes public opinion perceptions and attitudes, Communication Monographs [Impact Factor: 2.695] - 2019
Collaborators: Daniel Sude, Co-Author; Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author; Axel Westerwick, Co-Author
Picture yourself healthy—How media users select images to shape health intentions and behaviors, Health Communication [Impact Factor: 3.198] - 2019
Collaborators: Brianna Wilson, Co-Author; Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author
The role of humor in messaging about the about the MMR vaccine, Journal of Health Communication [Impact Factor: 2.781] - 2018
Collaborators: Emily Moyer-Guse, Co-Author; Jessica McKnight, Co-Author
Bedtime stories that work: The effect of protagonist liking on narrative persuasion, Health Communication [Impact Factor: 3.198] - 2017
Collaborator: Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author
Mood’s role in selective exposure to health and risk information - March, 2017
Collaborator: Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author
Mood management through selective media use for health and well-being - 2016
Collaborator: Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author
The allure of Aphrodite: How gender-congruent media portrayals impact adult women’s possible future selves, Human Communication Research [Impact Factor: 3.000] - April, 2016
Collaborators: Ashley Kennard, Co-Author; Laura Willis, Co-Author; Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, Co-Author
Does this book make me look fat? The effect of protagonist body weight and body esteem on female readers’ body esteem, Body Image: An International Journal of Research [Impact Factor: 6.406] - March, 2013
Collaborator: Robert Magee, Co-Author
Education
Ph D, Health Communication, The Ohio State University
MA, Mass Media and Communication, Virginia Tech
BA, Communication, Saint Vincent College
Papers and Presentations
March 27, 2025
Papers and Oral Presentations
Navigating Narratives: Impacts of Social Comparison Orientation on Narrative Selection and Processing
Eastern Communication Association 116th Annual Convention
Buffalo, New York
Narrative persuasion research has rarely addressed how recipients select which narratives they consume out of the abundance of available options. While narratives may reduce reactance and avoidance regarding health messages, it remains unclear what draws a person into a story. The current study investigated how trait social comparison orientation (SCO) influenced college students’ selections and processing of mystery narratives featuring two behaviors—sleep hygiene and alcohol. Narratives featured protagonists with low or high health-related self-efficacy. Results demonstrated that high SCO made participants more likely to pick a high self-efficacy narrative in their first selection. A three-way interaction between number of high self-efficacy narratives selected, SCO, and self-improvement social comparison (SISC) materialized: Among participants high in SCO, those who selected two low self-efficacy narratives and engaged in more SISC with the protagonists reported greater health-related self-efficacy impacts than individuals who selected two high-self efficacy narratives and engaged in more SISC.
March 21, 2025
Roundtable Discussion
Friday Southwest Roundtable on Teaching Shared Courses
Southwest Roundtable on Teaching Shared Courses
Virtual
Jennifer Breese, Alina Bodea Crisan, and I shared experiences and suggestions teaching shared hybrid courses.
March 6, 2025
Papers and Oral Presentations
Maternal Parenting Beliefs and Infant Age Influence Choices About Infant Sleep Location
Eastern Psychological Association 96th Annual Meeting
New York, New York
Where infants sleep is an important concern of new parents. This study examines maternal parenting beliefs and how they influence infant sleeping location. The current study found significant differences among attitudinal and behavioral responses of mothers of roomsharing and solitary-sleeping infants. The strength of this study is its use of existing measures to provide novel answers to factors influencing parental choice of infant sleep location.
March 21, 2024
Panels
ChatGPT in the Communication Classroom: A Round Table on Speech Preparation, Delivery, and Other Considerations
Eastern Communication Association 115th Annual Convention
Cambridge, Massachusetts
This roundtable featured experts in the communication discipline working with Al in the communication classroom. In addition to discussing two studies examining Al in higher education and Al's effects on speech preparation and delivery, it discussed best practices. We created a community space to share thoughts, ideas, and concerns about the advent of generative Al and its effects on the communication classroom.