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Dr. McCullough’s research interests include areas where the influence of the mass media and interpersonal communication intersect including consumer and political socialization.  In particular, recent work she has conducted examines the effectiveness of various mediation strategies which aim to reduce the unintended effects of advertising on younger children. By exploring different methods of parent-child communication and how children process advertising, this research tests strategies aimed to reduce the children’s materialistic attitudes. One series of studies continues this work by refining mediation strategies and training for parents.  Another current line of research Jennifer is working on looks at how consumer communication manifests itself in families of college students.  In these studies, she is interested in how this interpersonal and mass communication influences students’ materialistic attitudes, financial literacy, and debt levels.

As you might imagine given her research interests, Jennifer enjoys working with the community. In many of her classes, she has incorporated service learning projects to help students serve the greater community while applying the concepts learned in the course. Some of these projects have been shared with the Experiential Learning Division at conferences of the National Communication Association. Jennifer firmly believe that teaching (whether in the classroom or on research teams) is a chance to help students reach their personal and professional goals.

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Publications

• Egbert, N., Goodall, C. E., McCullough, J. L., & Smith, T. C. (2020). Headlines and hashtags: Communicating science during an outbreak. Microbes and Infection, 22, 508-510. doi: 10.1016/j.micinf.2020.07.004
• Ponder, J.D., & McCullough, J. L. (2017). Financial communication. In M. Allen (Ed.) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Merolla, A., Zhang, S., McCullough, J. L., & Sun, S. (2017). How do you like your forgiveness? Communication style preferences and effects. Communication Studies, 68(5), 568-587. doi: 10.1080/10510974.2017.1377743 (Central States Communication Association Article of the Year)
• Raman, S., Guerrero-Duby, S., McCullough, J. L., Brown, M., Ostrowski, S., Langkamp, D., & Duby, J. (2017). Screen exposure during routines and a young child’s risk for having social-emotional delay. Clinical Pediatrics, 56(13), 1244-1253. doi: 10.1177/0009922816684600
• McCullough, J. L. (2014). The role of coviewing in the development of materialistic attitudes. Communication Research Reports, 31(1), 92-101. doi: 10.1080/08824096.2013.846255
• Haridakis, P., Hanson, G., Lin, M., & McCullough, J. L. (2014). Fitting social media into the media landscape during a 2012 Republican Primary. In J. A. Hendricks & D. Schill (Eds.), Presidential Campaigning and Social Media. (pp. 106-121). New
• York, NY: Oxford University Press.
• McCullough, J. L. (2014). Controversies in advertising to children. In D. Coombs & R Batchelor (Eds.), We Are What We Sell: How Advertising Shapes American Life... And Always Has. Vol. 3. (pp. 55-76). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
• McCullough, J. L., & Goodall, C. E. (2014). Fast food advertising. In D. Coombs & R Batchelor (Eds.), We Are What We Sell: How Advertising Shapes American Life... And Always Has. Vol. 3. (pp. 115-130). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
• McCullough, J. L. (2011, November). Giving younger children a voice: Service learning in media courses.  Paper to be presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, New Orleans, LA.
• Chakroff, J. L. (2010, November). Enhancing informational speeches with service-learning: Helping others by spreading awareness.  Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, San Francisco, CA.
• Chakroff, J. L. (2009, November). Service-learning and advertising: Developing messages for non-profit organizations. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, Chicago, IL.
• Chakroff, J. L., & Nathanson, A. I. (2008). Parent and school interventions: Mediation and media literacy. In B. J. Wilson & S. L. Calvert (Eds.),The Handbook of Children, Media, and Development (pp. 552-576). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
• Ramirez, A., Eastin, M. S., Chakroff, J. L., & Cicchirillo, V. (2008). Towards a communication-based approach to cyber-bullying. In S. Kelsey & K. St. Amant (Eds.). Handbook of Research on Computer Mediation Communication (pp. 339-352). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.
• Chakroff, J. L. (2008, May). Mitigating the unintended effects of advertising on young children: The effectiveness of parent-administered active mediation. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Communication Association, Montreal, Canada.
• Carlyle, K., Slater, M., & Chakroff, J. L., (2008). Newspaper coverage of intimate partner violence: Skewing representation of risks. Journal of Communication, 58, 168-186.

Conference Papers

• Ponder, J. D., & McCullough, J. L. (2015, November). College students’ media use and credit card discussions. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, Las Vegas, NV.
• Merolla, A., Zhang, S., & McCullough, J. L. (2014, November). How do you like your forgiveness? Communication style preferences and effects. Paper to be presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, Chicago, IL.
• Goodall, C. E., Weaver, W. J., & McCullough, J. L. (2014, April). Nutritional content of foods advertised on children's television channels: An improving landscape? Paper presented to the Kentucky Conference on Health Communication. Lexington, KY.
• Ponder, J. D., & McCullough, J. L. (2013, November). Getting college students talking about financial issues: The role of media and influential others in discussions of credit cards. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, Washington, DC.
• Hanson, G., Chakroff, J. L., Lin, M., & Haridakis, P. (2012, August). Fitting social media into the media landscape during a 2012 Republican Primary. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Chicago, IL.
• McCullough, J. L. (2011, November). Giving younger children a voice: Service learning in media courses. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, New Orleans, LA.
• Chakroff, J. L. (2010, November). Enhancing informational speeches with service- learning: Helping others by spreading awareness. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, San Francisco, CA.
• Chakroff, J. L. (2009, November). Service-learning and advertising: Developing messages for non-profit organizations. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, Chicago, IL.
• Chakroff, J. L. (2008, November). Applications of media literacy: Helping younger children evaluate the media. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, San Diego, CA.
• Chakroff, J. L. (2008, May). Mitigating the unintended effects of advertising on young children: The effectiveness of parent-administered active mediation. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Communication Association, Montreal, Canada.
• Carlyle, K., Slater, M., & Chakroff, J. L. (2007, May). Newspaper coverage of intimate partner violence: Skewing representation of risks. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Communication Association. San Francisco, CA.
• Chakroff, J. L., & Smith, S. L. (2006, November). Reducing aggressive tendencies through active mediation: A theoretical explanation. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association. San Antonio, TX.
• Chakroff, J. L. (2005, November). Television exposure and materialism: The role of coviewing among college students. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, Boston, MA.
• McDonald, D. G., & Chakroff, J. L. (2005, May). Self-other personality and the formation of favorite media characters. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Communication Association, New York, NY.
• Moyer, E. J., Smith, S. L., Smith, R. A., Boyson, A. R., Chakroff, J. L., & Crook, S. F. (2004, May). A longitudinal investigation of children’s safety concerns surrounding news coverage of the terrorists’ attacks. Paper presented at the annual conference of the International Communication Association, New Orleans, LA.
• Boyson, A. R., Crook, S. F., Moyer, E. J., Chakroff, J. L., & Smith, S. L. (2002, November). Individual differences and preferences for violent media content. Paper presented at the annual conference of the National Communication Association, New Orleans, LA.