Faculty, students and research collaborators from Michigan State University’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences will contribute to the National Communication Association’s 112th Annual Convention, Nov. 19-22 in New Orleans, with preconference activities Nov. 18. This year’s theme is “Move/ments in Communication.”
The following list highlights their papers, panels and other convention activities. MSU-affiliated participants’ names are italicized. All times are Central Standard Time. For the latest schedule, visit the NCA 2026 convention program. Author lists include co-authors who may not present or attend in person.
Wednesday, Nov. 18 | Thursday, Nov. 19 | Friday, Nov. 20 | Saturday, Nov. 21 | Sunday, Nov. 22
Wednesday, Nov. 18
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Pre-conference 4: Moving Communication Scholarship Forward: The 2026 NCA Organizational Communication Division Preconference on External Funding
- James Dearing, Vernon Miller, Kerk Kee, Keri K. Stephens, Noshir S. Contractor, Matthew Weber, Michelle Shumate, Peter Monge, Marya Doerfel, Stacey Connaughton, Stacy Tye-Williams
5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Central States Communication Association Executive Committee Meeting
- Stephen A. Spates, Kristina M. Scharp, Leah Bryant, Stevie Munz, Tiffany Rose Wang, Jeffrey T. Child, Sandra L. Faulkner, Meggie Mapes, Patric Spence, Matthew R. Meier, Gayle M. Pohl
Thursday, Nov. 19
8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
Want to hang out? The importance of social interaction in leisure time to combat loneliness
Session: Cultivating Belonging: Communication, Care, and Student Well-Being in Practice
Co-authors
- Natalie Pennington, Adam Kwon, Jeffrey A. Hall, Amanda Holmstrom
Social Norms for Binge Drinking in the U.S. and South Korea: Exploring Cultural Values in the Theory of Normative Social Behavior
Session: Data Blitz: Normative Influence and Communication in College Life
Co-authors
- Hyungro Yoon, Maria Lapinski, Hong-Jae Lee, Hong-lim Choi
Understanding Adolescents’ Beliefs, Information-Seeking Behaviors, and Perceived Barriers to Avoid THC-Infused Beverages: A Qualitative Interview Study
Session: Data Blitz: Normative Influence and Communication in College Life
Co-authors
- Mahesha Piyumali, Mengyan Ma, Yuxuan Wang, Joshua Weinzapfel, Allysen Davenport
What to Say When a Chatbot Fails: Understanding Trust Repair Strategy by Task Type
Session: Managing Trust with Artificial Intelligence
Co-authors
- Qianyi Jin, Wei Peng
Measuring Organizational Socialization: Review, Critique, and Expansion
Session: Movements in the Volatile Workplace: Job Search, Layoffs, and Organizational Socialization
Co-authors
- Vernon Miller, Scott Shank
Bridging Language Barriers in Healthcare: NLP Translation Tool Adoption, Trust, and Patient Satisfaction among Diverse Communities
Session: Research In Progress Round Table -- Health Communication Division
Author
- Yvens Rumbold
Cultural Perceptions of Mental Health and Their Impact on Help-Seeking Behaviors Among African Women in the United States: An Intercultural Health Communication Perspective
Session: Research In Progress Round Table -- Health Communication Division
Co-authors
- Oghenetega Ologbo, Anitha Dushimirimana
The Increasing Value of Interpretive, Humanistic Public Relations Research: The Manifestation of Communication Behavior is in the Midst of a Reckoning
Panel participants and session leadership
- Michael James Palenchar, Damion M. Waymer, Stephanie Madden, Laura Lemon, Luke Capizzo, Jeannette Iannacone, Drew T. Ashby-King
9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Opening Session
Panel participants and session leadership
- Shaunak Sastry, Zhuo Ban, Emi Kanemoto, Terrie Wong, Dorthy Lee Pennington, Rhunette C. Diggs, Stephen A. Spates, Donyale Griffin Padgett, Chantay Parks Moye, Kidogo Kennedy, Kallia O. Wright, Anjuliet Woodruffe, Douglas Roberts, Robert Gutierrez-Perez, Kelsy Graham, Tahleen Lattimer, Julie-Ann Scott-Pollock, Liahnna Stanley, Leandra Hernandez, Walid Afifi, Katherine LaPierre
11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Behind the Roles We Play: How U.S. Politicians’ Social Media Narrative Identity Relates to Their Dissent Voting Behavior
Session: Emotion, Identity, and Political Communication Across Contexts
Author
- Yixiao Sun
Demographic Data Inclusion Tenets in Applied Data Practice: The Utilization of the QuantCrit Lens to Capture Demographic Fluidness in Context
Session: Equity by Design: Applied Approaches to Identity, Inclusion, and Access
Co-authors
- Serena Miller, Zhao Peng, Ruth Heo
Understanding Desired Support, Received Support, and Support Gaps Through the Lens of Family Communication Patterns
Session: Family Communication Patterns Theory: Measurement & Application
Co-authors
- Yue Zhang, Elizabeth Dorrance Hall
An Interview Study Exploring International Students’ Use and Perceptions of Chat-based AI Tools
Session: High Density: Students and Artificial Intelligence
Co-authors
- Ran Liu, Mahesha Piyumali, Joshua Weinzapfel, Hyuntaek Lee, Mengyan Ma, Yuxuan Wang, Xinling Xu, Xiaoran Cui
Examining ‘The Moral of the Story’ in Walt Disney Studio Films Across Eight Decades
Session: Morality in Media
Co-authors
- Joshua Baldwin, Yan Wang, Lindsay Hahn, Sujay Prabhu, Ron Tamborini, Melinda Aley, Matthew Olah, Madeline Taggart
Testing Moral Intuition Malleability: Sequential News Exemplars Alter the Accessibility of Moral Intuitions in Audience Minds
Session: Morality in Media
Co-authors
- Ron Tamborini, Sujay Prabhu, Yan Wang, Joshua Baldwin
AI as a Tool vs. a Colleague: How User Openness and AI Mind Perception Shapes Responsibility Attribution for AI Errors
Session: The Future of Communication in the "Age of AI"
Co-authors
- Moonsun Jeon, Xinyu Zhang, Yoo Jung Oh
1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Examining How College Students’ Beliefs and Advertising Literacy Relate to Their Intentions to Avoid THC-Infused Beverages
Session: Health Message Effectiveness for Youth
Co-authors
- Mengyan Ma, Mahesha Piyumali, Wenjuan Ma, Yuxuan Wang
Exploring Parental Awareness, Information Seeking, and Protection Strategies regarding THC-infused Beverages: A Qualitative Interview Study
Session: Health Message Effectiveness for Youth
Co-authors
- Yuxuan Wang, Mengyan Ma, Mahesha Piyumali, Joshua Weinzapfel, Allysen Davenport
When AI Enhances Your Online Dating Profile: The Effects on Language and Impression Formation
Session: Interpersonal Communication Division Research in Progress Roundtables
Co-authors
- Rui Zhu, Sarah Forsyth, Xinyu Zhang, Brandon Van Der Heide, David Matthew Markowitz
Would You Let AI Speak for You? Attachment Orientations and Intentions to Use AI in Risky Relationship Talk
Session: Interpersonal Communication Division Research in Progress Roundtables
Author
- Ran Liu
2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
AI, Trust, and Stigma: Immigrant Women’s Health Information Practices in the U.S. Across Transnational, Cultural, and Intersectional Contexts
Panel participants and session leadership
- Tamar Ginossar, Mina Sayadi, Nnenna Fiona Udebunu, Jayita Chakraborty, Dora Nentoola, Amanda Gyesi, Naadiyahtu Iddrisu
Disruptive Communication Technologies
- Qianyi Jin
How Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences and Exposure to Prolonged Family Conflict Shape Youth Wellbeing
Session: Health & Healing: Caregiving and Well-Being in Families
Co-authors
- Elizabeth Dorrance Hall, Metka Kuhar
Jealousy and Deception in Romantic Relationships
- Rui Zhu
Parsing the Public as a Problem: Revisiting the Animating Question of Activism in Public Relations
Session: Top Faculty Papers in the Public Relations Division
Co-authors
- Luke Capizzo, Sarah Aghazadeh, Natalie Tindall
*Top-paper session
4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Development and Validation of a Deepfake Literacy Scale: Predictors and Correlates of Deepfake Literacy Beyond General AI Knowledge
Session: Augmenting Selves
Co-authors
- Christopher Calabrese, Muhammad Ehab Rasul, Hee Jung Cho, Moonsun Jeon, Taeyoung Kim, Yoo Jung Oh
Presenting the Augmented Self: Extending Sender Effects of the Hyperpersonal Model in AI-Mediated Communication
Session: Augmenting Selves
Co-authors
- Rui Zhu, David Matthew Markowitz, Brandon Van Der Heide
When AI Edits the Self: Psychological Tradeoffs in Adopting AI-Generated Headshots
Session: Augmenting Selves
Co-authors
- Xinyu Zhang, Yoo Jung Oh, Moonsun Jeon
Scrolling Toward Perfection: Algorithmic Short-Video Exposure, Self-Objectification, and Body Image Across Gender and Sexuality
Session: Media Created Other and Self-Identities
Author
- Su Bai
Organizational Communication Research Escalator
Participants
- Vernon Miller
Power, Position, and Storytelling: How Feminist PR Practitioners Shape Women’s Narratives Globally
Session: Top Student Papers in the Public Relations Division
Author
- Oghenetega Ologbo
*Top-paper session
Reframing the Dialogic Ladder: An Affordance-Mediated Model for Genuine Dialogue in Digital Public Relations
Session: Top Student Papers in the Public Relations Division
Author
- Mahesha Piyumali
*Top-paper session
5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Diversity Communication & Workplace Inclusion
Participants
- Stephen A. Spates
Friday, Nov. 20
8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
The Influence of Accessibility of Source Likability in AI Persuasion: A Pilot Exploratory Study
Session: AI-Mediated Communication: Implications for Humans, Social Robots, and More
Co-authors
- Elisavet Averkiadi, Nancy Rhodes, David Ewoldsen, Rahaf Ahmad, Sydney Ross, Rachel Sprowles
9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Centering Media Selection
Participants
- Allison Eden
From Deepfake Exposure to AI Literacy Education: Risk and Benefit Perceptions as Pathways to Support
Session: Communication and the Future Top Papers
Co-authors
- Go-Eun Kim, Jong In Lim, Christopher Calabrese, Muhammad Ehab Rasul, Yoo Jung Oh
*Top-paper session
The Role of Social Identity in Ego-Defensive Processing from In-Group or Out-Group Message Source
Session: Decoding Messages: Cognitive Heuristics, AI Cues, and the Limits of Discernment
Co-authors
- Moonsun Jeon, Maria Lapinski
Digital Health
Participants
- Mengyan Ma
Movements of Influence: A Socio-Semantic Network Analysis of Persuasive Messaging and Networked Authority among Gang-Affiliated Actors on Haitian Social Media
Session: Mass Communication High Density Research Roundtable: Culture and Identity
Author
- Yvens Rumbold
Family Communication Patterns, Grandparent–Grandchild Digital Back-Feeding, and Older Adults’ Digital Literacy
Session: Screens & Connection: Digital Technology in Family Life
Co-authors
- Xiaoran Cui, Elizabeth Dorrance Hall
11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Fast-Forwarding the Shared Experience: Multimodal Intersubject Correlation Across Playback Speeds
Session: Measuring Media Experience: Psychophysiology, Computation, and Methodological Frontiers
Co-authors
- Yuetong Du, Hee Jung Cho, Manushka Sondhi, Benjamin Bartling, Ralf Schmälzle
Haptics as a Modality of Communication: A Systematic Review
Session: Measuring Media Experience: Psychophysiology, Computation, and Methodological Frontiers
Co-authors
- Alexander Lover, Yan Wang, Jacob Fisher
Modeling Synthetic Audience Reactions to Social-Cognitive Narratives: A Generative GSR Model to Predict Real-World Autonomic Alignment during Film Viewing
Session: Measuring Media Experience: Psychophysiology, Computation, and Methodological Frontiers
Co-authors
- Benjamin Bartling, Hee Jung Cho, Yuetong Du, Ralf Schmälzle
Narrative Character Network Explains Storytelling Success
Session: Measuring Media Experience: Psychophysiology, Computation, and Methodological Frontiers
Co-authors
- Xuanjun Gong, Allison Eden, Frederic R. Hopp, Anna Wiederhold Wolfe, Matthew Grizzard
Additional session roles
- Jacob Fisher
SPARK: Teaching Avatar Psychology in VR and with Student AI-vatars
Session: SPARK! Innovations in Practice - Focus on Science, Technology, and Creativity
Co-authors
- Rabindra Ratan, Qiyang Lin, Jiahui Liu, Dayeoun Jang
Does Similarity Make Content Less Important? Gender, Race, and Processing of Esteem Support Messages
Session: Supportive Communication I
Co-authors
- Yue Zhang, Brooke H. Wolfe, Junwen M. Hu, Jess Dominguez, Jong In Lim, Xiaoran Cui, Stephen A. Spates, Amanda Holmstrom
1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Celebrating the 2025 and 2026 Winners of the Gerald R. Miller Book and Franklin H. Knower Article Awards
Panel participants and session leadership
- Jenny Crowley, Deborah B. Yoon, Tamara Dawn Afifi, Amy Bleakley, John Patrick Crowley, Maria DelGreco, Amanda Denes, Marya Doerfel, Amnee Elkhalid, Devon Geary, Chelsea Guest, Jeffrey A. Hall, Emily Hamlin, Amanda Holmstrom, Leanne Knobloch, Andy Merolla, Ethan Morrow, Kristina M. Scharp, Jennifer Theiss, Maria Venetis, Colleen Warner, Katrina Webber, Joe Whitt
Online Bullying of Scholars on X: Types, Severity, and Targets of Attacks
Session: Scholar to Scholar Session 2: Media, Technology, AI, and Digital Culture
Co-authors
- Xuan Shen, Yue Zhang
2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Measuring Emotional Flow: Assessing Self-Report and Psychophysiological Indicators with Multi-Trait Multi-Measure Methodology
Session: Communication and Social Cognition Division: Top Paper Session
Co-authors
- Monique Turner, Hee Jung Cho, Yuetong Du, Jong In Lim, Moonsun Jeon, Hyungro Yoon
*Top-paper session
4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
The Ecology of Social Comparison in Online Eating Disorder Communities: The New Alchemy
Session: Health Messaging and Information on Social Media
Co-authors
- Mohammed Madouh, Juan Mundel
Memorable Movie Moments: An Analysis of Memorable Scenes in Films
Session: Top Papers in Mass Communication
Co-authors
- Allison Eden, Manushka Sondhi, Prathyusha Galinkala, Ava Crozier
*Top-paper session
Saturday, Nov. 21
8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
New Directions in PR Practice: Global Trends, Entrepreneurship, and Rhetorical Strategies
Participants
- Luke Capizzo
Organizational Communication Mentoring Session
Session leadership and facilitators
- Elizabeth Carlson, Dron M. Mandhana, William Thomas Howe, Kerk Kee, Elizabeth Larson, Shelley Larson, Jasmine Linabary, DeAnne Priddis, Rita Lynn Rahoi-Gilchrest, Craig R. Scott, Alexandra Sousa, Stephen A. Spates, Julien Sperling, Meenakshi Yadav
Rethinking Organizational Socialization: Move/ments, Mobility, and Changing Career Expectations
Panel participants and session leadership
- Sofia Cavaness, Karen Kroman Myers, DaJung Woo, Timothy Kuhn, Patrice Marie Buzzanell, Angela Gist-Mackey, Vernon Miller
The Weight of Unmet Support: Theorizing the Effects of Support Gaps in Probation and Parole Agent Relationships with Clients
Session: Supportive Communication II
Co-authors
- Amanda Holmstrom, Yan Zhang, Merry Morash
Social Anxiety, Mind Perception, and Using AI for Relationship Help
Session: Supportive Communication in Mediated Interactions
Co-authors
- Rui Zhu, Junwen M. Hu, Yoo Jung Oh
Feeling Scattered: Development and Validation of the Attention Fragmentation Scale
Session: When Media Moves the Mind and Body: Attention, Cognitive Load, and Psychophysiological Processing
Co-authors
- Jacob Fisher, Douglas Parry, Lara Wolfers, Alexander Lover
Scrolling Away Attention? Examining the Relationship Between Short-Form Video Consumption and Attention Networks
Session: When Media Moves the Mind and Body: Attention, Cognitive Load, and Psychophysiological Processing
Co-authors
- Ziyu Zhao, Jacob Fisher, Douglas Parry, Richard Huskey
Temporal Dynamics of Emotional Experience in Persuasion: Psychophysiological Tracking of Shifts in Nostalgia and Regret
Session: When Media Moves the Mind and Body: Attention, Cognitive Load, and Psychophysiological Processing
Co-authors
- Hee Jung Cho, Monique Turner, Ralf Schmälzle
9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Moving From Desegregation to DEI Retrenchment: Structural Parallels in the Marginalization of Black Educators in U.S. Educational Institutions
Session: Top Papers in African American Communication and Culture
Co-authors
- Stephen A. Spates, Darius Lana, Karla Cortes
*Top-paper session
11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Using the Value Creation Process in Managing a Mental Health-Focused Hostage Negotiation Incident
Session: Communicating Mental Health Across Contexts: Applied Perspectives on Care, Disclosure, and Advocacy
Author
- William Donohue
In the Wake of Privacy Turbulence: Communication Considerations for Estranged Queer Adolescents
Session: Managing the Unsaid: Privacy, Disclosure, & Family Boundaries
Co-authors
- Kristina M. Scharp, Brooke H. Wolfe, Cimmiaron Alvarez, Leah Bryant, Pamela Lannutti
Easy path to meaning? The role of perceived value relevance in movie previews predicting enjoyment, appreciation, and challenge
Session: Media Narratives, Characters, and Outcomes
Co-authors
- Allison Eden, Manushka Sondhi, Prathyusha Galinkala, Ava Crozier
Protagonist Immorality and Moral Conflict: Distinguishing Pathways of Enjoyment and Appreciation to Story Liking
Session: Media Narratives, Characters, and Outcomes
Co-authors
- Henry Goble, Ron Tamborini, Joshua Baldwin, Yan Wang, Sujay Prabhu
Beyond Message Content: The Limits of Framing Among Skeptical Homeowners
Session: Scholar to Scholar Session 3: Health, Identity, Risk/political Communication
Author
- Miyeon Kim
1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Growing Up Around Love: The Role of Observed Parental Romance in Shaping Sex-Positive Worldviews
Session: Family Communication Research-In-Progress Roundtable
Co-authors
- Olivia Payne, Karla Cortes, Stephen A. Spates
Is More Really Better? The Curvilinear Effects of Project Managers’ Communication Behaviors on Project Success
Session: Top Four Papers in the Group Communication Division
Co-authors
- Dron M. Mandhana, Vernon Miller, Sinem Mollaoglu
*Top-paper session
2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Not All Efficacy Is the Same: Disaggregating Self-Efficacy, Response Efficacy, and Retributive Efficacy in Anger-Based Persuasion
Session: Feeling as Force: Appraisal, Reactance, and Affective Processing
Co-authors
- Hyungro Yoon, Monique Turner, Hee Jung Cho, Moonsun Jeon
The One Where Entertainment Gets Complicated: Moment-to-Moment Dynamics of Enjoyment, Appreciation, and Psychological Richness
Session: Feeling as Force: Appraisal, Reactance, and Affective Processing
Co-authors
- Manushka Sondhi, Sara M. Grady, Prathyusha Galinkala, Ava Crozier, Morgan Ellithorpe, Dominique Wirz, Allison Eden
Support Visibility in Breastfeeding Couples: How Support Type and Relational Quality Shape Relational Outcomes
Session: Interpersonal Health Communication
Co-authors
- Xiaoran Cui, Amanda Holmstrom, Junwen M. Hu, Yue Zhang, Jong In Lim, Hailey Schulte, Brooke H. Wolfe
4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Mark L. Knapp Award Panel Celebrating Mike Allen
Panel participants and session leadership
- Mike Allen, Patrice Marie Buzzanell, Emily Cramer, William Donohue, Leah E. LeFebvre, Luke LeFebvre, Erin Sahlstein Parcell, Michael Tollefson, Steven Wilson, Joshua Pederson
Trust in Algorithms Biased Appraisal and Boosted Affect in Mediated Romantic Encounters
Session: Relational Consequences of Algorithms, AI, and Mediated Communication
Co-authors
- Junwen M. Hu, Yoo Jung Oh
Sunday, Nov. 22
8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
Public Perceptions of AI Deepfake Harm: Personal, Societal, and Third-Person Perception Shaped by AI Trust, AI Risk Perception, and Demographics
Session: AI and Media
Co-authors
- Yoo Jung Oh, Moonsun Jeon, Hee Jung Cho, Christopher Calabrese, Muhammad Ehab Ehab Rasul
Stress, Communication, and Social Support Deficits in American Friendships
Session: Communication in Friendships
Co-authors
- Junwen M. Hu, Amanda Holmstrom, Natalie Pennington, Jeffrey A. Hall
9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Race Cues, Racial Battle Fatigue, and the Anger Activism Model: How Racial Identity Shapes Responses to Political Advocacy Messages
Session: Mediated Feminisms, Cultural Politics, and Activist Futures
Co-authors
- Rachel Wade, Monique Turner, Hillary C. Shulman
Preparing PR Students for an AI-Mediated Profession: Curriculum Innovation and Emerging Best Practices
Panel participants and session leadership
- Jae-Hwa Shin, Shannon A. Bowen, Rita Men, Chuqing Dong, Bonita Dostal Neff
Vivid Risks, Stable Selves: Exemplification, Question Order, and Perceived Susceptibility
Session: Risk, Crisis, and Protective Action: Applied Communication Under Conditions of Uncertainty
Co-authors
- Stephen A. Spates, Patric Spence, Kenneth Lachlan, Xianlin Jin
11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Dyadic: A Scalable Platform for Human-Human and Human-AI Conversation Research
Session: Embracing Artificial Intelligence in Life, Work, School, and More
Author
- David Matthew Markowitz