Glenn M. Leshner, Ph.D.
Gaylord College of Journalism & Mass Communication
3250B Gaylord Hall
University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK 73019
Email:
Education
Ph.D. in Communication, minor in Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
January, 1995.
A.M. in Communication, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 1993.
M.M.C. in Journalism, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 1982.
B.A. in History, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 1977.
Personal Statement.
I work in the area of psychological processing of mediated information, including attention, memory, affect, and behavior, particularly with respect to health messages. I have conducted research on how individual process health-related information, such as anti-tobacco audio/visual messages. Specifically, my research addresses how media strategies can overcome various types of audience resistance to persuasive health messages, with the ultimate goal of informing communication campaigns designed to improve public health. Such resistance can come in the form of cognitive and emotional withdrawal from persuasive health messages, which I have shown in several recent publications on fear and disgust appeals. I am currently working in the area of how individual process anger appeals. A second, closely related, stream of research involves overcoming psychological reactance to health messages targeted at diabetics. The goal of this research is to theoretically model the reactance process, from message exposure to behavior, in order to determine where in the reactance process strategic messages can best be used to interrupt the reactance process. I also recently published an iPhone separation study with one of my students at Missouri. I co-directed the PRIME Lab (Psychological Responses to Information and Media Effects) in the Missouri School of Journalism. Psychophysiological data are collected as responses to media content (heart rate, skin conductance, three channels of facial EMG), as well as a variety of implicit measures (e.g., IAT, MAM, STRTs, response latencies, speeded recognition tasks) and typical self-report. I will add an eye-tracking system at my OU lab, which will be fully integrated with the psychophysiological data collection system and will enable me to apply a rather unique set of measures to interesting and important communication problems.
In addition to research published in peer-reviewed journals, other writings include two entries into the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Health Communication (health promotion and message sensitive value), a book chapter on the basics of experimental research in a forthcoming Blackwell series on research methods in media studies, an annotated bibliography on health communication for the Oxford Bibliographies Online, and a series of entries for the National Library of Medicine (Consumer Health Informatics Research Resource: chirr.nlm.nih.gov) designed to provide literature reviews on various measures scientists can use in their own research.
Positions and Employment
University of Oklahoma
2015-presentGaylord Family Endowed Chair in Journalism, Gaylord College of Journalism & Mass Communication
University of Missouri
2010-2014Professor, Strategic Communication, School of Journalism
2008-2014Professor, Department of Communication (courtesy appointment)
2000-2010Associate Professor, Strategic Communication, School of Journalism
2006-07Interim Director of Graduate Studies, School of Journalism
1994-2000Assistant Professor, Broadcast News, School of Journalism
Stanford University
1992-1994Instructor, Department of Communication
1991-1993Teaching Assistant, Department ofCommunication
Shaw University
1986-1990Assistant Professor, Radio/TV, Shaw University