Bio

Rebecca Frazer (Ph.D., MPA, The Ohio State University) is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Relations. She is a media psychology researcher, focusing on how people process and respond to story-form (narrative) media. Her work has examined psychological processing of narratives in a variety of contexts, including entertainment television, online news, terrorist propaganda, and social media testimonials. She is particularly interested in people’s experiences of enjoyment, appreciation, social learning, persuasion, and coercion as they relate to narrative exposure.

Frazer primarily conducts experimental research, and much of her work incorporates principles of moral psychology as a lens for understanding human responses to narrative. Frazer has published work in top communication, psychology, and marketing journals, including Journal of Communication, Media Psychology, New Media & Society, Mass Communication & Society, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, and Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.

Frazer is an award-winning instructor and has taught courses in strategic communication, persuasion, research methods, media and terrorism, and global social change communication. She also has professional experience in public relations and communications consulting, with a focus on non-profit and government communication.

Areas of Expertise

Media Psychology, Narrative Media, Persuasion, Moral Psychology, Media and Extremism, Humanization/Dehumanization in Media, Media and Public Policy Attitudes

Areas of Expertise

Media Psychology and Media Effects, Political Communication, Social Advocacy and Social Change, Strategic Communication

Education

Ph.D., Communication, The Ohio State University
Master of Public Administration, The Ohio State University
B.A., Communication (Public Relations); Political Science (International Affairs), Asbury University

News

• Rebecca Frazer Receives Two 2023 National Communication Association Top Paper Awards (August 23, 2023)
• Study: Narrative Moral Judgment Theories Explain Reactions to COVID-19 Death Stories (July 25, 2023)
• New Faculty Rebecca Frazer (July 7, 2023)
• Rebecca Frazer Joins UFCJC as a Public Relations Assistant Professor in Fall 2023 (January 9, 2023)
• All News About Rebecca Frazer

Publications

Grizzard, M., Frazer, R.*, & Monge, C. (2023). Demystifying Schadenfreude: How disposition theorizing explains responses to social media stories of unvaccinated COVID-19 deaths. New Media & Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/gshxx4 [*denotes shared first-authorship]

Frazer, R., Grizzard, M., Francemone, C. J., Fitzgerald, K., & Henry, C. (2023). Character individuation and disposition formation: An experimental exploration. Media Psychology, 26(2), 172-200. https://doi.org/jbqz

Frazer, R. (2023). Marketing against extremism: Identifying and responding to moral disengagement cues in Islamic State terrorist propaganda. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 42(1) 36-55. https://doi.org/jgcf

Grizzard, M., Francemone, C. J., Frazer, R., Fitzgerald, K., Monge, C., & Henry, C. (2023). A comprehensive experimental test of the affective disposition theory of drama. Journal of Communication, 73(4), 289-303. https://doi.org/j8fb

Frazer, R. & Moyer-Gusé, E. (2023). Engaging the dark side: Exploring identification with morally complex antagonists. Mass Communication & Society, 26(2), 177-200. https://doi.org/jgch

Fitzgerald, K., Francemone, C. J., Green, M. C., Grizzard, M. & Frazer, R. (2023). The Emotional Flow Scale: Validating a measure of dynamic emotional experiences in message reception. Advance online publication. Media Psychology. https://doi.org/kftg

Frazer, R. (2022). Experimental operationalizations of anthropomorphism in HCI contexts: A scoping review. Communication Reports, 35(3), 173-189. https://doi.org/jgcd

Frazer, R., Moyer-Gusé, E., & Grizzard, M. (2022). Moral disengagement cues and consequences for victims in entertainment narratives: An experimental investigation. Media Psychology, 25(4), 619-637. https://doi.org/jgcg

Frazer, R., Robinson, M., & Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (2021). Narratives’ impacts on attitudes: Do signaling of persuasive intent and fictionality matter? Communication Studies, 72(3), 347-365. https://doi.org/jgcj

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., Robinson, M., Frazer, R., & Schutz, E. (2021). “Affective News” and attitudes: A multi-topic experiment of attitude impacts from political news and fiction. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 98(4), 1078-1103. https://doi.org/gn8srq

Courses