Shapiro, Michael A

Associate Professor

My research focuses on the mental processes involved in getting and using information from the mass media, including a variety of unconscious and more thoughtful mental processes we use to interpret messages and make decisions. My current focus is on the social psychology of narrative, examining the impact of narrative messages on judgments about realism and on the effectiveness of health messages. One aspect of this is an investigation of messages aimed at improving home food safety. This research is aimed at discovering why compliance with recommended home food safety procedures is much less than knowledge about those procedures. The next stage is to create narrative messages designed to better motivate people to comply with home food safety recommendations. Previously I`ve looked at the role of unconscious mental processes in processing health messages and political advertising and in forming attitudes and making decisions. This includes studies of negative political advertising and environmental messages as well as health, political, and environmental decision-making.

research

research and scholarship focus

Psychology of communication. Mental processing of narrative messages.

primary investigator of

IMPROVING SAFE HOME FOOD PREPARATION MESSAGES TO REDUCE FOODBORNE ILLNESS | Research Grant

research areas

food science | collaborative research area (CALS)

submitted impact statement

Reducing foodborne illness by improving safe food preparation messages | 2007 Impact statement
The impact of media stories on belief, attitudes and decision making | 2006 Impact statement
The impact of media stories on belief, attitudes and decision making | 2005 Impact statement
The impact of media stories on belief, attitudes and decision making | 2004 Impact statement

affiliations

faculty appointment in

Communication (COMM) | Cornell department

member of graduate field

Communication | graduate field

teaching

teaches

COMM 4220 - Psychology of Entertainment Media (MWF 12:20:PM-01:10:PM) | fall 2009 class
COMM 4970 - Individual Study in Communication (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
COMM 4980 - Communication Teaching Experience (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
COMM 4990 - Independent Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
COMM 6220 - Advanced Psychology of Entertainment Media (MWF 12:20:PM-01:10:PM) | fall 2009 class
COMM 7970 - Graduate Independent Study (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
COMM 7980 - Communication Teaching Laboratory (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
COMM 7990 - Graduate Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
COMM 8900 - Master's-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
COMM 9900 - Doctoral-Level Dissertation Research (TBA -) | fall 2009 class
COMM 4970 - Individual Study in Communication (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
COMM 4980 - Communication Teaching Experience (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
COMM 4990 - Independent Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
COMM 6810 - Advanced Communication Theory (MW 02:55:PM-04:25:PM) | spring 2009 class
COMM 7810 - Seminar in Psychology of Communication (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
COMM 7970 - Graduate Independent Study (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
COMM 7980 - Communication Teaching Laboratory (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
COMM 7990 - Graduate Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
COMM 8900 - Master's-Level Thesis Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
COMM 9900 - Doctoral-Level Dissertation Research (TBA -) | spring 2009 class
COMM 4220 - Psychology of Entertainment (MWF 12:20:PM-01:10:PM) | fall 2008 class
COMM 6220 - Advanced Psychology of Entertainment (MWF 12:20:PM-01:10:PM) | fall 2008 class

service

outreach focus

Food safety

publications

selected publications (listing in progress)

Pak, H., & Shapiro, M. A. (2008). The effects of incongruity, production pacing and sensation seeking on TV advertisements. Paper presented at the International Communication Association. Top 4 paper Mass Communication Division.

Shapiro, M. A., Porticella, N., & Hancock, J. T. (2008). Identification, realism and ideal-self in interpreting media characters. Paper presented at the International Communication Association.

Barriga, C., Shapiro, M. A., & Fernandez, M. L. (2008). Science information in fictional movies: Effects of context and gender. Paper presented at the International Communication Association.

Porticella, N., Shapiro, M. A., & Gravani, R. B. (2008). Social barriers to safer food preparation and storage practices among consumers. Paper presented at the International Communication Association.

Shapiro, M. A. (2007). Values, creativity, and imagination in generalizability. Communication Methods and Measures, 1(3), 207-213.

Shapiro, M. A. (2007). Introduction to generalizability: Philosophy, challenges and new frontiers. Communication Methods and Measures, 1(3), 165-167.

Shapiro, M. A., Peña-Herborn, J., & Hancock, J. T. (2006). Realism,imagination, and narrative video games. In P. Vorderer & J. Bryant (Eds.), Playing video games: Motives, responses, and consequences (pp. 275-289). Mahwah: Erlbaum.

Shapiro, M. A. (2005). Perceived reality and media entertainment. In D. Marinelli (Ed.), ICEC conference proceedings 2003: Essays on the future of interactive entertainment (pp. 91-99). Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Mellon University Press.

Shapiro, M.A., & Chock, T.M. (2004). Media dependency and perceived reality of fiction and news. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, December 2004. 675-695.

Bradley, S. D., & Shapiro, M. A. (2004). Parsing reality: The interactive effects of complex syntax and time pressure on cognitive processing of television scenarios. Media Psychology, 6, 307-333.

Shapiro, M. A. (2002). Generalizability in communication research. Human Communication Research, 28, 491-500.

Shapiro, M. A., & Chock, T. M. (2003). Psychological processes in perceiving reality. Media Psychology, 5, 163-198.

Shapiro, M. A., & Fox, J. R. (2002). The role of typical and atypical events in story memory. Human Communication Research. 28, 109-135.

Keywords: attitude, emotion, food safety messages, media psychology, psychology of entertainment, psychology of narrative