Expertise

Research and Creative Interests:

  • Political Communication
  • Public opinion
  • Research Methods

His research is inclusive of political communication, political psychology, and research methodology, and focuses particularly on how changes in political and communication domains influence agenda-setting processes, framing effects, and journalistic decision-making.

My research primarily focuses upon how emotions influence political beliefs and behavior. Specifically, my dissertation examines how the emotionality of media messages acts as information cues for the orienting of citizens’ attention.

I am interested in political communication and psychology, with the former involving the ways in which the media report on political issues and the latter involving how citizens use (or don’t use) information received from the media.

In addition to the study of political behavior and psychology, I also study public policy; namely, the evolution of elite policy framing in the U.S. Congress, as well as how scientific information is (or isn’t) used in environmental policy debates.

Research Interests:

  • American Politics: Political communication, political psychology
  • Public Policy: Policy agenda-setting, policy framing, water policy
  • Methodology: Statistical programming, simulations, general quantitative methods.
Past Affiliations

Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and Public Management, College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, Austin Peay State University (past)

Communities
Media Studies, Multimedia Communication, Journalism, Film Studies
Degrees
PhD, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Political Science, 2013
MA, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Political Science, 2009
BS, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Political Science, 2007
BS, University of Nebraska at Kearney, News-Editorial Journalism, 2007