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University of Wisconsin–Madison

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UW-Madison researchers to study effect of social media on adolescent health

social media app icons on the home screen of an iphone

The grant will allow researchers to explore the effects of technology and digital media on adolescent health and development, and develop intervention strategies based on findings.

MADISON, Wis. – Researchers at the University of Wisconsin plan to study how technology and digital media (TDM) influence health behaviors and wellbeing in adolescents, with an emphasis on both positive and negative impacts of social media.

Funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD) and a University of Wisconsin–Madison Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education (OVCRGE) matching grant, the over $8 million grant is titled A longitudinal study investigating TDM and adolescent health and development: Brain, behavior, and well-being.

Megan Moreno headshot

Dr. Megan Moreno, MD, MSEd, MPH, Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the study’s principal investigator

“Decades of past research have shown that two major sources of influence on adolescent health and behavior are peers and the media,” said Dr. Megan Moreno, MD, MSEd, MPH, Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the study’s principal investigator. “Digital media today, particularly social media, is a powerful combination of those influences as it is peer-generated media. Given the near-ubiquitous exposure to and use of social media by youth, it is critical to understand the ways that technology impacts adolescent health.”

The study will take place over two years, observing the social media use of 400 adolescents ages 13-15 from the state of Wisconsin. Researchers plan to gather data on participants in a variety of ways including self-report methods like surveys and in-depth interviews, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, and Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA), which are questions participants can answer via text message to get in the moment health screening information.

In addition to Moreno, the research team consists of Co-Principal Investigators Dr. Chris Cascio, PhD, Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Dr. Ellen Selkie, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. The study is broken into three projects, each led by a member of the research team. The projects will share participants and data, but will each examine a different area of the impact of TDM on youth health and wellbeing.

Moreno’s project focuses on behavior, aiming to better understand how adolescents perceive and are influenced by content that they create and consume on social media, and how that content impacts their behavior.

Ellen Selkie headshot

Dr. Ellen Selkie, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and co-principal investigator on the project

Selkie’s project focuses on the ways different types of social media content relate to socioemotional wellbeing concepts such as stress, loneliness, social connectedness or self-esteem, which can be risk factors for mental and physical health problems. Her project will look at interactions with both self-generated and other-generated content on social media, with a focus on LGBTQIA+ youth. She hopes to provide context to the individual experiences adolescents have on social media over time and how they relate to brain changes and health behavior.

“So much of adolescent life happens online now, and it’s pretty clear that there isn’t a clear line between online and offline life for most kids,” Selkie said. “Therefore, we must examine how the online environment affects adolescent development, just as we have for other environments like school and home.”

Cascio’s project will use fMRI to understand how positive and negative TDM experiences relate to mental and behavioral health outcomes. This includes neuroimaging for a group of 150 participants in eighth grade, in order to capture the transition from middle school to high school and whether it changes reactivity to experiences with TDM.

Chris Cascio headshot

Dr. Chris Cascio, PhD, SJMC Assistant Professor and co-principal investigator on the project

“The study will be interesting in that it will track both positive and negative aspects,” Cascio said. “Social media use, especially in teen years, has a bad rap. Parents often think it just causes problems, or it’s no good. We’re going to try to understand it more broadly, in terms of what aspects of social media use are good and which are bad.”

His project focuses on reactivity to social inclusion and exclusion and the underlying mechanisms in reward pathways and social pain pathways in the brain and how reactive participants are to these experiences.

For example, social media could be a supportive social environment for a teen who may post about having a hard time in school, and receiving supportive comments. Conversely, social media could be a negative social environment for someone who is being cyberbullied. Cascio’s project will also measure how participants process different types of messages they come across on social media, including both content generated by researchers and peer-created content.

The goal is to see how supportive or unsupportive online environments contribute to health and wellbeing, both on the good side of health such as sleep quality, physical activity, happiness and positive social relationships, and on the negative side of health, including anxiety, depression or substance use.

Researchers hope to share the findings of their study with the same community partners they plan to use for participant recruitment. By talking about what they’ve learned with students and their parents, they hope to raise awareness of social media’s impact on health and behavior.

“My mission as a researcher is to figure out how we can amplify positive social media content so that this digital environment, which is so important to young people, can be a better, more healthy experience in the future,” Selkie said.

“The ultimate goal would be for our study to evolve into informing some sort of intervention to increase wellbeing and increase healthy behaviors,” Cascio said.

“We hope our outcomes will advance our understanding of how to promote healthy technology use among youth,” Moreno said. “We have a priority of ensuring our research findings reach our communities around Wisconsin, so that teens and families can learn from our findings alongside our team.”

New grant for CAMER faculty lead Sijia Yang

New grant awarded by ICTR to CAMER faculty lead Sijia Yang and his team to help reduce vaccine hesitancy in rural communities in Wisconsin and beyond. Yang serves as co-investigator.

Stakeholder and Patient Engaged Research Pilot Award

Community Co-Design and Pilot Test of Public Health Messages Addressing Pediatric Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural America
Malia Jones, PhD; College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Academic Collaborators: Susan Passmore, UW SMPH; Sijia Yang, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

UW Program Partners: UW Collaborative Center for Health Equity

Community Collaborators: Wisconsin Head Start Association, Wisconsin Council of Churches, Southwestern WI Community Action Program

Vaccines have safely prevented millions of cases of childhood illness, but vaccine hesitancy is a growing problem. Compared to suburban areas, routine kids’ vaccination rates were lower in rural areas before COVID-19, and many children fell behind in their vaccination schedule amidst the disruptions of the pandemic. Evidence-based strategies for addressing vaccine hesitancy include culturally-competent tailored messaging. However, little is known about the ideological frames, barriers, and context of vaccine-hesitant rural Wisconsin parents. This interdisciplinary team will build on research expertise in vaccine hesitancy, methodologies to study health message design, effective delivery, behavioral change, and the social construction of trust. To identify effective messages to address pediatric vaccine hesitancy in rural parents, they will apply a stakeholder-engaged co-design process with three community partners with insights into the needs of their communities. The health promotion messages will then be tested in a national panel of rural-living parents. Results will be shared with community partners and local public health departments.

Link: https://ictr.wisc.edu/documents/2022-pilot-award-summaries/

New CCCR article “Ideology and COVID-19 Vaccination Intention: Perceptual Mediators and Communication Moderators”

New article “Ideology and COVID-19 Vaccination Intention: Perceptual Mediators and Communication Moderators” in the Journal of Health Communication from the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal.

Abstract

Widespread COVID-19 vaccination is critical to slow the spread of the illness. This study investigates how political ideology is associated with COVID-19 vaccine intention via perceived effectiveness of the vaccine, perceived side effects, and perceived severity of the illness, three key aspects of the Health Belief Model (HBM). This study also examines how partisan information flow moderates the effects of ideology on these three HBM components. Using survey data collected from two battleground states in the 2020 election (N = 1849), regression, mediation and moderation analyses revealed that conservatives were less likely to intend to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and this association was significantly mediated by perceived effectiveness and perceived side effects of vaccination, as well as perceived severity of COVID-19. In addition, partisanship of news sources and discussion partners were significant moderators of ideology’s association with perceived vaccine effectiveness, with conservatives viewing COVID-19 vaccination as less effective if they were frequently exposed to liberal news, and if they had frequent conversations with fellow conservatives. This suggests boomerang effects for cross-cutting mass media exposure, and reinforcement effect for interpersonal communication. Implications for efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake are discussed, including tailored and targeted campaign strategies.

Full Citation
Jiang X, Hwang J, Su MH, Wagner MW, Shah D. Ideology and COVID-19 Vaccination Intention: Perceptual Mediators and Communication Moderators. J Health Commun. 2022 Sep 7:1-11. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2022.2117438. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36069353.

Team receives $5 million award to continue research on misinformation correction

Course Correct logoThe award will allow researchers to further develop Course Correct, a precision tool providing journalists with guidance against misinformation.

MADISON, Wis. – A team of researchers that developed Course Correct, a tool to help journalists identify and combat misinformation online, will now be testing that tool in the real world, through partnerships with journalists.

The tool offers precision guidance against misinformation via a flexible and dynamic dashboard which helps journalists to identify trending misinformation on social media, strategically correct false claims and test the effectiveness of corrections in real time.

Dhavan Shah headshot

SJMC Professor and MCRC Director Dhavan Shah

“Challenges of misinformation are not restricted to elections and COVID or to a particular community; we see large volumes of false information circulating around product recalls, children’s vaccines, and natural disasters, all of which our system could be adjusted to address,” said University of Wisconsin School of Journalism and Mass Communication Professor Dhavan Shah, a collaborator on the project. “Countering misinformation will require vigilance and adaptation.”

The group received a Phase I grant last year to develop the tool. The next phase of the project will help roll the tool out to a wider audience, funded by a $5 million Phase II Convergence Accelerator cooperative agreement award from the National Science Foundation.

Mike Wagner headshot

SJMC Professor and PI Michael Wagner

“In Phase I, we developed our misinformation detection system and conducted promising preliminary tests of a method to correct misinformation within the networks it is spreading. Now, we will partner with journalists at the local, state and national levels to see how well Course Correct works in real world settings,” said UW SJMC Professor Mike Wagner, the principal investigator on the project. “It’s been thrilling to work with such a diverse team of experts, so many of them with UW ties, as we try to help accurate information find its way into misinformation networks. I hope we can play a small role in helping to increase the flow of accurate information about important issues and reduce the reach and power of misinformation.”

Course Correct’s strategy of observational correction reduces misperceptions across multiple types of issues.

Course Correct’s strategy of observational correction reduces misperceptions across multiple types of issues.

According to a recent Knight Foundation study, 74% of Americans are very concerned about the spread of misinformation on the internet, including strong majorities of both Democrats (84%) and Republicans (65%).

As a part of Phase II, the team will be forming formal partnerships with both local, state, national and global news organizations including The Capital Times in Madison, WI, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, Snopes and the International Fact Checking Network. The team plans to present Course Correct to IFCN’s Global Fact 10 Conference in the second year of Phase II and invite signatories to join their team.

Srijan Kumar headshot

Georgia Tech Assistant Professor Srijan Kumar

“Phase I brought together experts with different skillsets who were driven by a shared passion of improving the cyber information ecosystem,” said Srijan Kumar, Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech and collaborator on the project. “In Phase II, I am looking forward to collaborations with the expanded team and I am excited about our impact potential and tools.”

Porismita Borah headshot

Washington State University Associate Professor Porismita Borah

“I’m excited to move this work forward in Phase II, continuing to develop A/B-tested correction strategies against misinformation and evaluating the effectiveness of evidence-based corrections,” said Washington State University Associate Professor Porismita Borah, a collaborator on the project and a UW-Madison SJMC alum. “By testing different strategies at the same time, Course Correct can tell journalists the most effective ways to correct misinformation in the actual networks where the misinformation is doing the most damage.”

The team has a road map for Phase II of the project with several key milestones, including completing the scalable misinformation detection system and the identification of best practices for misinformation correction. Then, they will train journalists on Course Correct and conduct randomized control trials to demonstrate the tool’s value. Next, they will introduce Course Correct to the 135 signatories of the IFCN and incorporate their feedback. Finally, the team will bring additional news organization partners on board after presenting at the Global Fact Summit.

Leticia Bode headshot

Georgetown University Associate Professor Leticia Bode

“The thing that I’m most excited about with regard to this work is how it is effectively combining lots of elements of misinformation research, in order to maximize impact,” said Georgetown University Associate Professor Leticia Bode, a collaborator on the project and an alum of UW-Madison SJMC. “Lots of these elements – mapping misinformation networks, testing corrective information, journalistic fact checking – have been going on, but they’ve mostly operated in isolation. Combining them should significantly increase the impact this work has on actually reducing the spread of misinformation on social media.”

Sijia Yang headshot

SJMC Assistant Professor Sijia Yang

“This project is unique in adopting a convergence accelerator approach where we engage with the journalistic and fact-checking communities from the beginning and throughout the system design and testing phases,” said UW SJMC Assistant Professor Sijia Yang. “We hope to build a system that would empower those working at the frontline fighting mis- and disinformation with real-time signals to identify emerging misinformation, rapid-response A/B testing capacities and evidence-based strategies for effective correction. I am so excited to work with a dream team to address this pressing societal challenge.”

Course Correct identifies creators of misinformation (red), sharers of misinformation (yellow) and the people exposed to the misinformation sharing (green) so journalists can (1) productively choose what to fact check and (2) specifically target at-risk individuals with sponsored content. Journalists we interviewed in Phase I told us that Impact Score figures like this one, for those making false claims that COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility, are extremely useful when it comes to selecting what to fact check.

Course Correct identifies creators of misinformation (red), sharers of misinformation (yellow) and the people exposed to the misinformation sharing (green) so journalists can (1) productively choose what to fact check and (2) specifically target at-risk individuals with sponsored content. Journalists we interviewed in Phase I told us that Impact Score figures like this one, for those making false claims that COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility, are extremely useful when it comes to selecting what to fact check.

Researchers at UW-Madison include Shah, Wagner, Yang and Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor William Sethares. They will work with several collaborators from other institutions, including Borah, Bode, Kumar, Georgia Tech Associate Professor Munmun De Choudhury, University of Minnesota Associate Professor Emily Vraga, and Founder and CEO of Anchor Change Katie Harbath. Borah, Bode, Vraga and Harbath are all UW-Madison SJMC alums.

Emily Vraga headshot

University of Minnesota Associate Professor Emily Vraga

“I’m excited to work with a truly interdisciplinary team focused on practical interventions that can reduce misinformation online,” Vraga said. “The scale of the problem requires us to consider how different strategies can all intersect to help address misinformation on social media. Actively working with journalists and fact-checkers, who will be such an important part of the correction process, will help this project have a meaningful impact on the problem.”

Katie Harbath headshot

CEO and Founder of Anchor Change Katie Harbath

“Combatting mis- and disinformation online is becoming a harder, not easier task to do as bad actors get more sophisticated, use more platforms and different types of content,” Harbath said. “Course Correct holds a lot of promise to help journalists spot, track and refute false narratives quickly. I’m excited the NSF has decided to fund Course Correct for Phase II, as providing tools like this will be crucial not just for the U.S. midterms, but as we go into the 2024 presidential election.”

Launched in 2019, the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator builds upon research and discovery to accelerate use-inspired convergence research into practical application. The Convergence Accelerator is making timely investments to solve high-risk societal challenges.

New book from CCCR “Battleground: Asymmetric communication ecologies and the erosion of civil society in Wisconsin”

New book “Battleground: Asymmetric communication ecologies and the erosion of civil society in Wisconsin” from authors in the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal, including Lew Friedland, Dhavan Shah, Mike Wagner, Kathy Cramer, Chris Wells and Jon Pevehouse.

Description

Battleground models Wisconsin’s contentious political communication ecology: the way that politics, social life, and communication intersect and create conditions of polarization and democratic decline. Drawing from 10 years of interviews, news and social media content, and state-wide surveys, we combine qualitative and computational analysis with time-series and multi-level modeling to study this hybrid communication system – an approach that yields unique insights about nationalization, social structure, conventional discourses, and the lifeworld. We explore these concepts through case studies of immigration, healthcare, and economic development, concluding that despite nationalization, distinct state-level effects vary by issue as partisan actors exert their discursive power.

Read more: https://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/politics-general-interest/battleground-asymmetric-communication-ecologies-and-erosion-civil-society-wisconsin?format=PB&isbn=9781108925068

New article from HITS “Coaching older adults discharged home from the emergency department: The role of competence and emotion”

New article “Coaching older adults discharged home from the emergency department: The role of competence and emotion in following up with outpatient clinicians” in Patient Educ Couns. from the Health Information Technology Studies group aiming to answer whether psychological needs for motivation and discrete emotions observed by care transition coaches would predict older adults following up with an outpatient clinician after discharge from emergency departments.

Abstract:

Objective: Motivating older adults to follow up with an outpatient clinician after discharge from emergency departments (ED) is beneficial yet challenging. We aimed to answer whether psychological needs for motivation and discrete emotions observed by care transition coaches would predict this behavioral outcome.

Methods: Community-dwelling older adults following ED discharge were recruited from three EDs in two U.S. states. We examined home visit notes documented by coaches (N = 725). Retrospective chart reviews of medical records tracked participants’ health care utilization for 30 days.

Results: Observed knowledge-based competence predicted higher likelihood of outpatient follow-up within 30 days, while observed sadness predicted a lower likelihood of follow-up within seven days following discharge. Moreover, participants who demonstrated happiness were marginally more likely to have an in-person follow-up within seven days, and those who demonstrated knowledge-based competence were more likely to have an electronic follow-up within 30 days.

Conclusions: Knowledge-based competence and emotions, as observed and documented in coach notes, can predict older adults’ subsequent outpatient follow-up following their ED-discharge.

Practice implications: Intervention programs might encourage coaches to check knowledge-based competence and to observe emotions in addition to delivering the content. Coaches could also customize strategies for patients with different recommended timeframes of follow-up.

Keywords: Care transition intervention; Coach notes; Competence; Emotion; Motivation; Older adults; Outpatient follow-up.

Full Citation: Mi RZ, Jacobsohn GC, Wu J, Shah MN, Jones CMC, Caprio TV, Cushman JT, Lohmeier M, Kind AJH, Shah DV. Coaching older adults discharged home from the emergency department: The role of competence and emotion in following up with outpatient clinicians. Patient Educ Couns. 2022 Aug 24:S0738-3991(22)00392-5. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2022.08.013. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36064518.

Access the Article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36064518/

New article from SMAD “Vaccine discourse during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: Topical structure and source patterns”

In the new article “Vaccine discourse during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: Topical structure and source patterns informing efforts to combat vaccine hesitancy” in PLoS One, the Social Media and Democracy group extracted a total of 349,979 COVID-19 vaccine-related tweets from the initial period of the pandemic to investigate 1) the major topics that emerged from public conversation on Twitter concerning vaccines for COVID-19, 2) the topics that were emphasized in tweets with either positive or negative sentiment toward a COVID-19 vaccine, and 3) the type of online accounts in which tweets with either positive or negative sentiment were more likely to circulate.

Abstract:

Background: Understanding public discourse about a COVID-19 vaccine in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic may provide key insights concerning vaccine hesitancy. However, few studies have investigated the communicative patterns in which Twitter users participate discursively in vaccine discussions.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate 1) the major topics that emerged from public conversation on Twitter concerning vaccines for COVID-19, 2) the topics that were emphasized in tweets with either positive or negative sentiment toward a COVID-19 vaccine, and 3) the type of online accounts in which tweets with either positive or negative sentiment were more likely to circulate.

Methods: We randomly extracted a total of 349,979 COVID-19 vaccine-related tweets from the initial period of the pandemic. Out of 64,216 unique tweets, a total of 23,133 (36.03%) tweets were classified as positive and 14,051 (21.88%) as negative toward a COVID-19 vaccine. We conducted Structural Topic Modeling and Network Analysis to reveal the distinct topical structure and connection patterns that characterize positive and negative discourse toward a COVID-19 vaccine.

Results: Our STM analysis revealed the most prominent topic emerged on Twitter of a COVID-19 vaccine was “other infectious diseases”, followed by “vaccine safety concerns”, and “conspiracy theory.” While the positive discourse demonstrated a broad range of topics such as “vaccine development”, “vaccine effectiveness”, and “safety test”, negative discourse was more narrowly focused on topics such as “conspiracy theory” and “safety concerns.” Beyond topical differences, positive discourse was more likely to interact with verified sources such as scientists/medical sources and the media/journalists, whereas negative discourse tended to interact with politicians and online influencers.

Conclusions: Positive and negative discourse was not only structured around distinct topics but also circulated within different networks. Public health communicators need to address specific topics of public concern in varying information hubs based on audience segmentation, potentially increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

Full Citation: Hwang J, Su MH, Jiang X, Lian R, Tveleneva A, Shah D. Vaccine discourse during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: Topical structure and source patterns informing efforts to combat vaccine hesitancy. PLoS One. 2022 Jul 27;17(7):e0271394. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271394. PMID: 35895626; PMCID: PMC9328525.

Access the Article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35895626/

CAMER publishes new article “How Climate Movement Actors and News Media Frame Climate Change and Strike”

In the new article “How Climate Movement Actors and News Media Frame Climate Change and Strike: Evidence from Analyzing Twitter and News Media Discourse from 2018 to 2021” in The International Journal of Press and Politics, the Computational Approaches and Message Effects Research group used a comprehensive Twitter dataset to investigate how the climate movement is framed on Twitter and they analyze the evolution of frames over time against the backdrop of critical events.

Abstract:

Twitter enables an online public sphere for social movement actors, news organizations, and others to frame climate change and the climate movement. In this paper, we analyze five million English tweets posted from 2018 to 2021 demonstrating how peaks in Twitter activity relate to key events and how the framing of the climate strike discourse has evolved over the past three years. We also collected over 30,000 news articles from major news sources in English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada, United States, United Kingdom) to demonstrate how climate movement actors and media differ in their framing of this issue, attention to policy solutions, attribution of blame, and efforts to mobilize citizens to act on this issue. News outlets tend to report on global politicians’ (in)action toward climate policy, the consequences of climate change, and industry’s response to the climate crisis. Differently, climate movement actors on Twitter advocate for political actions and policy changes as well as addressing the social justice issues surrounding climate change. We also revealed that conversations around the climate movement on Twitter are highly politicized, with a substantial number of tweets targeting politicians, partisans, and country actors. These findings contribute to our understanding of how people use social media to frame political issues and collective action, in comparison to the traditional mainstream news outlets.

Full citation: Chen K, Molder AL, Duan Z, et al. How Climate Movement Actors and News Media Frame Climate Change and Strike: Evidence from Analyzing Twitter and News Media Discourse from 2018 to 2021. The International Journal of Press/Politics. June 2022. doi:10.1177/19401612221106405

Access the article: https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/G2NAZJM6NYFXDEPK2VCE/full

New article from CAMER “Textual and pictorial enhancement of cannabis warning labels: An Online experiment among at-risk U.S. young adults”

In the new article “Textual and pictorial enhancement of cannabis warning labels: An Online experiment among at-risk U.S. young adults” in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, the Computational Approaches and Message Effects Research group examines whether enhanced cannabis warning labels (CWLs) outperform those currently required in the U.S. in improving recall of health risks, emotional responses, and perceived message effectiveness among at-risk young adults.

Abstract:

Background

This study experimentally examines whether enhanced cannabis warning labels (CWLs) outperform those currently required in the U.S. in improving recall of health risks, emotional responses, and perceived message effectiveness among at-risk young adults.

Method

We conducted an online national survey-based experiment in October 2020. Young adults aged 18–26 years old and at-risk for cannabis use (N = 523) were randomly assigned in an online experiment, to view either currently required CWLs in California with small font and a composite health risk statement, or enhanced single-theme CWLs with varying textual and pictorial components. We performed linear regression analyses to compare the enhanced with existing CWLs on information recall, negative emotions, and perceived message effectiveness. Furthermore, information recall and negative emotions were examined as parallel mediators to better understand the mechanisms underlying effective textual and pictorial enhancement of CWLs.

Results

Compared with currently required CWLs in California, both textually (b = 0.30, p = .011) and pictorially (b = 0.59, p < .001) enhanced CWLs increased recall accuracy. Pictorially enhanced CWLs outperformed their text-only counterparts (b = 0.28, p = .019) in improving information recall. Only pictorially enhanced CWLs improved perceived message effectiveness (b = 0.31, p = .008), which was mediated by negative emotions but not by information recall.

Conclusions

Given rapid expansion of the cannabis industry and declining perception of harm, currently required CWLs in the U.S. such as California’s, would benefit from redesign to improve public understanding of health risks and to prevent youth use.

Full citation: Sang Jung Kim, Matt Minich, Arina Tveleneva, Jiaying Liu, Alisa A. Padon, Lynn D. Silver, Sijia Yang, Textual and pictorial enhancement of cannabis warning labels: An Online experiment among at-risk U.S. young adults, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Volume 237, 1 August 2022.

Access the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376871622002575

Professor Dhavan Shah Receives ICA B. Aubrey Fisher Mentorship Award

Dhavan Shah on stage at the ICA Conference receiving the B. Audrey Fisher Mentorship Award

Dhavan Shah on stage at the ICA Conference receiving the B. Audrey Fisher Mentorship Award

At their 72nd Annual Conference in Paris France, the International Communication Association (ICA) awarded its B. Aubrey Fisher Mentorship Award to SJMC Maier-Bascom Professor Dhavan Shah.

Since 1988, the B. Aubrey Fisher Award has been given to honor outstanding scholars, teachers, and advisors who serve as role models in those capacities and who have had a major impact on the field of communication. Most importantly, recipients of this award have influenced the discipline through their former students, who themselves are important figures in the communication discipline.

“Shah is praised for his fairness, willingness to collaborate, unconditional support, ability to help students see the larger implications of their ideas, and unwavering intellectual generosity,” said Craig Scott, Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Texas-Austin, who conferred the award to Shah. “Dr. Dhavan Shah embodies the B. Aubrey Fisher Mentorship Award, and we are delighted to present him with it.”

“I owe a great debt to my mentors — Ivan Preston, Dan Wackman, Jack McLeod, and Dave Gustafson — who shaped my approach to research, teaching, and advising,” Shah said. “To be recognized for mentoring others and shaping the field through our joint scholarship and the work of my advisees means I paid that debt forward.”

Dhavan Shah headshot

SJMC Professor and MCRC Director Dhavan Shah

Shah has involved many students in his research and has served as major advisor for over 40 doctoral students, and a committee member on another 80 dissertations across ten departments. His advisees and mentees have gone on to research and teach at some of the world’s leading institutions and earn recognition for their work.

“Dhavan has supported my career teaching me about the research process, doing research with me, but most importantly teaching me how to become an independent researcher, one that can help develop new cohorts of researchers,” said Hernando Rojas, SJMC Professor and Director and one of Shah’s doctoral advisees. “Most importantly his mentoring never ends. Having been a professor for 15 years now myself, I regularly turn to his advice on how to navigate professional challenges, knowing I will always find a sympathetic ear and a smart answer. Simply put, I would not be in academia today if it were not for Dhavan.”

Shah’s research focuses on the influence of electronic and digital media on social judgments, civic and political engagement, and health support and behavior. He is the author of over 140 articles and 20 book chapters. He has co-edited five books and is the author of News Frames and National Security: Covering Big Brother with SJMC colleague Professor Doug McLeod and Battleground: Asymmetric Communication Ecologies and the Erosion of Civil Society in Wisconsin with current and former UW colleagues Lew Friedland, Mike Wagner, Chris Wells, Kathy Cramer, and Jon Pevehouse.

Dhavan Shah seated at a table speaking into a microphone

Dhavan Shah responds to questions during a panel “Media After The Midterms” at the Overture Center in Madison, Wis., on Nov. 7, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)

“Dhavan continues to be a sounding board of advice and perspective, nearly 10 years removed from my student days,” said Stephanie Edgerly, Associate Professor in the Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University and one of Shah’s doctoral advisees. “I am forever grateful for his mentorship and imprint on my career. He provided me with a map for navigating the world of academia, while encouraging me to choose my own path and go at my own pace. The fields of communication, journalism, and political science are better because of Dhavan’s mentorship.”

Shah serves as the Director of the Mass Communication Research Center (MCRC), Scientific Director in the Active Aging Research Center and Scientific Director in the Center for Health Enhancement System Studies (CHESS). He holds appointments in the Industrial and Systems Engineering, Marketing and Political Science departments.

Dhavan Shah standing at a podium in front of a projector screen

Dhavan guided me and my colleagues toward important lessons about how to live as a scholar,” said Kjerstin Thorson, Brandt Endowed Associate Professor of Political Communication in the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State University and one of Shah’s doctoral advisees. “The lesson I value most is generosity. Dhavan taught us that a great scholar is generous with their time, ideas, opportunities, and mentorship.”

In 2016, Shah was elected as an ICA Fellow in recognition of his distinguished scholarly contributions to the broad field of communications. Shah’s SJMC colleague Professor Emeritus Jack McLeod also received the Fisher Award in 1991.