Biography

Cynthia Hoffner (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1988) is Associate Professor; her academic work focuses on the emotional responses of children and adults to mediated messages. One of the most prolific scholars in mass communication studies, her research appears in Media Psychology, Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Human Communication Research, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Motivation and Emotion, Communication Research Reports, Communication Monographs, Journal of Career Development, Journal of Child Language, Child Development, Child Study Journal, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, and Developmental Psychology. Dr. Hoffner won the outstanding dissertation awards of both the National Communication Association and the International Communication Association. On seven occasions she has been awarded top paper awards for her research presentations at regional and national conferences. In the aftermath of 9/11 she organized a team of GSU graduate researchers who conducted a detailed study of responses to difficult and nonfictional media portrayals. Research Areas: Media Effects, Audience Studies, Media & Emotions; Media & Youth; Quantitative Research Methods. Degree Track Affiliations: Ph.D. (Public Communication), M.A. (Mass Communication). Core Graduate Seminars Regularly Taught: Audience Studies; Media Effects; Quantitative Research Methods.