The Ohio State University School of Communication

Name:	Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick
Title:	Associate Professor
Telephone:	(614) 247-6801
E-Mail:	...
Address:	School of Communication The Ohio State University 3036 Derby Hall 154 N. Oval Mall Columbus, OH 43210

All Qualifications:

Quick Introduction:

Research focus: media selection, uses and effects
(health communication, news, entertainment, new media).

Editor of ISI-ranked journal Media Psychology.

Qualifications:

M.A. University of Music, Drama & Media Hanover, Germany
Ph.D. University of Music, Drama & Media Hanover, Germany

Recent Research Presentations (selection):

* indicates student co-author.

*Johnson, B. K., & Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (2012, April). Coping orientations and selective exposure to health threats in the news. 2012 Kentucky Conference on Health communication, Lexington, KY.

*Willis, L., & Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (accepted). Weighing women down: Messages on weight loss and body shaping in editorial content in popular women’s health and fitness magazines. International Communication Association conference, Phoenix, AZ.

*Johnson, B. K., & Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (accepted). Testing predictions on selective exposure to health news: A comparison of three models. International Communication Association conference, Phoenix, AZ.

*Sarge, M. & Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (2011, November). Impacts of exemplification and efficacy as characteristics of a weight loss message on selective exposure and subsequent weight loss behavior. Paper presented at the NCA conference, New Orleans.

*Sarge, M., & Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (2011, August). What makes young adults care to read online health messages? Efficacy and exemplar impacts on message perceptions and selective exposure. Paper presented at the AEJMC conference, St. Louis.

*Sarge, M., & Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (2011, June). Impacts of efficacy and exemplification in an online message about weight loss on weight management self-efficacy, satisfaction and personal importance. Paper presented at the Sixth International Conference on Persuasive Technology, Columbus, OH, 2011.

Hastall, M. R., & Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (2011, June). Selective exposure to online health information on food poisoning: Impacts of magnitude, likelihood, efficacy, and exemplification. Paper presented at the Sixth International Conference on Persuasive Technology, Columbus, OH, 2011.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & Westerwick, A. (2011, June). Selective exposure to online health information: Coping with current health issues through downward comparison? Paper presented at the Sixth International Conference on Persuasive Technology, Columbus, OH, 2011.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Crane, J. (2011, May). A losing battle: Effects of prolonged exposure to thin ideal images on dieting and body satisfaction. International Communication Association Annual Conference. Boston/MA.

Key Publications since 2006:

* indicates student co-author.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Johnson, B. K., (in press). Selective exposure for better worse: Its mediating role for online news' impact on political participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.

Hastall, M. R. & Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (in press). Severity, efficacy and evidence type as determinants of health message exposure. Health Communication.

*Sarge, M., & Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (in press). Impacts of efficacy and exemplification in an online message about weight loss on weight management self-efficacy, satisfaction and personal importance. Journal of Health Communication.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., *Gong, Y., *Hagner, H., & *Kerkeybian, L. (in press). Tragedy viewers count their blessings: Feeling low on fiction leads to feeling high on life. Communication Research.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & Glynn, C. J. (in press). The Matilda effect—role congruity effects on scholarly communication: A citation analysis of Communication Research and Journal of Communication articles. Communication Research.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (in press). Selective exposure and reinforcement of attitudes and partisanship before a presidential election. Journal of Communication.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Crane, J. (2012). A losing battle: Effects of prolonged-exposure to thin ideal images on dieting and body satisfaction. Communication Research, 39, 79-102.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Kleinman, S. (2012). Pre-election selective exposure: Confirmation bias versus informational utility. Communication Research, 39, 170-193.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Hoplamazian, G. (2012). Gendering the self: Selective magazine reading and reinforcement of gender conformity. Communication Research, 39, 358-384.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Meng, J. (2011). Reinforcement of the political self through selective exposure to political messages. Journal of Communication, 61(2), 349-368.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Romero, J. P. (2011). Body ideals in the media: Perceived attainability and social comparison choices. Media Psychology, 14(1), 27-48.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Hastall, M. R. (2010). Please your self: Selective exposure to news about in- and out-groups and its effect on self-esteem. Journal of Communication.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., David, P., Eastin, M., Tamborini, R., & Greenwood, D. (2009). Sports spectators’ suspense: Affect and uncertainty in sports entertainment. Journal of Communication, 59(4), 750-767.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Meng, J. (2009). Looking the other way: Selective exposure to attitude-consistent and counter-attitudinal political information. Communication Research, 36(3), 426-448.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Hastall, M. R. (2009). Coping or escaping? Effects of life dissatisfaction on media content choices. Communication Research, 36(2), 207-228.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & Taylor, L. (2008). The blame game: Elements of causal attribution and its impact on siding with agents in the news. Communication Research, 35(6), 723-744.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., Appiah, O., & *Alter, S. (2008). News selection patterns as a function of race: The discerning minority and the indiscriminating majority. Media Psychology, 11(3), 400-417.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Keplinger, C. (2008). Murder for pleasure: Impacts of plot complexity and need for cognition on mystery enjoyment. Journal of Media Psychology, 20(3), 117-128.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., *Musto, P., & *Shaw, K. (2008). Rebellion in the top music charts: Defiant messages in rap/hip-hop and rock music 1993 and 2003. Journal of Media Psychology, 20(1), 15-23.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Alter, S. (2007). Sex-segregated news consumption: Origins of gender-typed patterns of Americans’ selective exposure to news topics. Journal of Communication, 57(4), 739-758.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Keplinger, C. (2007). Thrilling news: Factors generating suspense during news exposure. Media Psychology, 9, 193–210.

Dillman Carpentier, F., Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Blumhoff, A. (2007). Naughty versus nice: Suggestive pop music influences on perceptions of potential romantic partners. Media Psychology, 9, 1-17.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (2007). Gender differences in mood management and mood adjustment. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 51, 73-92.

Sundar, S. S., Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Hastall, M. (2007). News cues: Do indicators of newsworthiness by newsbots affect our perception of news stories? A cross-cultural study in Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.S. JASIST Journal of the American Society of Information Science and Technology, 58, 366 - 378.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Keplinger, C. (2006). Mystery appeal: Effects of uncertainty and resolution on the enjoyment of mystery. Media Psychology, 8(3), 193-212.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Hastall, M. (2006). Social comparisons with news personae: Selective exposure to news portrayals of same-sex and same-age characters. Communication Research, 33(4), 262-284.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., *Brück, J., & *Hastall, M. R. (2006). The gender news use divide: Impacts of sex, gender, self-esteem, achievement and affiliation motivations on German news readers’ exposure to news topics. Communications – The European Journal of Communication, 31, 329-345.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Alter, S. (2006). Mood adjustment to social situations through mass media use: How men ruminate and women dissipate angry moods. Human Communication Research, 32, 58-73.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & *Coates, B. (2006). Minority models in advertisements in magazines popular with minorities. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 83(3), 596-614.

Description:

My research and teaching is all about media use and media effects. The courses that I currently teach have to do with entertainment, effects of the media on society and the individual, and children & media. In my research, I employ psychological methods and theories and also do cross-cultural investigations. Most of my projects are computer-/web-based. I enjoy collaborating with students and almost always have student co-authors. Most of my recent work has focused on how people select from media entertainment and news.

Courses Taught (at OSU):

501 Mass Communication and Youth U5
Introduction to theories and research on the uses and effects of media on children and adolescents, including discussion of interventions

613 Media Entertainment UG5
This course explores speculation, theory and research regarding effects and appeal of media entertainment, emphasizing societal implications.

642 Mass Communication and Society UG5
Analysis of basic issues affecting media performance; especially social, cultural norms, organizational and occupational variables, and the assessment of the effects of the resulting performance.

806 Contemporary Communication Theory G5
Overview of contemporary approaches to the study of communication.

807 Foundations of Communication Theory G5
A historical overview of the major theories and research that led to the development of the field of communication.

840 Mass Communication and the Individual G5
Survey of theory and research in mass communication dealing with psychological aspects of mass communication.

940 Seminar in Mass Communication G5
"Mass Communication, Affect, and Emotion"

Other Teaching
Keywords for research seminars and courses I have taught at other universities: computer games research, Internet research, communication technologies, media psychology, research methods, research designs, media economics, media marketing, research colloquia.