Brian Lamb School of Communication
Purdue Research in Media Effects
(PRIME) Lab
Media + Psych
Overview
Research in media effects and media psychology examines how people interact with and are impacted by the media content they consume. Researchers have long investigated this area, but the rapidity with which media has evolved in the 21st century requires renewed and refocused attention on questions of how and why people consume media and of how they are impacted by their media use.
The Brian Lamb School of Communication has historic and current strengths in media effects research. To capitalize on these strengths, the Purdue Research in Media Effects (PRIME) Lab coalesces key faculty researchers who study media processes and effects. The PRIME Lab also serves as a home for graduate and undergraduate student researchers interested in media psychology. The PRIME Lab examines topics including how news and entertainment media impact political participation, how livestreaming culture builds community and psychosocial support for constituent members, how video games influence players’ lives, and how people cognitively process media content and make decisions about their media use.
The PRIME Lab was founded by and is led by Dr. Brett Sherrick and Dr. Jennifer Hoewe.
People
- Brett Sherrick
- Co-Founder and Co-Director of the PRIME Lab
- Associate Professor
- Jennifer Hoewe
- Co-Founder and Co-Director of the PRIME Lab
- Associate Professor
- Diane Jackson
- Assistant Professor, University of Tampa
- Joshua Kim
- Ph.D. candidate
- Brigitte Dietz
- Ph.D. student
- Sam Woodland
- Ph.D. student
- Eubin Sung
- Ph.D. student
- Paige Gonzales
- Ph.D. student, UNC-Chapel Hill
- Ipek Ozkuyumcu
- Ph.D. student
- Gavin Ploger
- Postdoctoral scholar
- William Roman
- Undergraduate student
- Sumsaar Thapa
- Undergraduate student
Research
Hoewe, J., & Sherrick, B. (Eds.). (forthcoming). A Research Agenda for Media Psychology. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Hoewe, J., Sherrick, B., Jackson, D., & Woodland, S. (forthcoming). Positioning enjoyment and appreciation as key components of news use. Journal of Communication.
Hoewe, J., Jackson, D., Mikkilineni, S. M., & Ewoldsen, D. (2026). Mechanisms of partisan news use: The roles of metacognitive effort and enjoyment. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 70(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2025.2604216
Sherrick, B., Smith, C., Jia, D. Y., Kim, J., Woodland, S., & Fox, J. (2026). How voice chat, cooperativeness, and competitiveness impact prosocial and antisocial norms in multiplayer online video games. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 70(1), 38-54. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2025.2603246
Sherrick, B., Hoewe, J., & Rogers, R. (2024). How nature- and humanity-based awe experiences in video games can differentially lead to hedonic and eudaimonic outcomes. Communication Monographs. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2024.2397435
Sherrick, B., Hou, J., & Smith, C. (2024) The role of parasocial interaction in live-streaming success. Journal of Media Business Studies, 21(3), 248–267. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16522354.2024.2324226
Hoewe, J., Jett, J., Lusvardi, A., & Wiemer, E. (2023). Selection, trust, and the effects of cable news consumption. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 100(2), 392-415. https://doi.org/10.1177/10776990221142877
Sherrick, B., Smith, C., Jia, Y., Thomas, B., & Franklin, S. B. (2023). How parasocial phenomena contribute to community health on Twitch. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 67(1) 47-67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2022.2151599
Hoewe, J. (2020). Toward a theory of media priming. Annals of the International Communication Association, 44(4), 312-321. https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.2020.1815232
Hoewe, J., Wiemer, E., Adekunle, T., Barton, R., Jett, J., & Pijanowski, A. (2020). Linking political TV shows with female lead characters to political engagement: The roles of parasocial processes and gender identity. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 64(5), 672-692. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2020.1849703