Ph.D., Indiana University, Bloomington (2017)

M.A., Indiana University, Bloomington (2013)

B.A., Armstrong State University, Savannah (2008)

Research Interests

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.