Communication Centers and Labs

The CARISMA Lab

The Center for Avatar Research and Immersive Social Media Applications (CARISMA) Lab opened in the fall of 2016. The department recruited Professor Gary Bente from the University of Cologne to lead the lab.

The CARISMA lab focuses on the interdisciplinary study of the effect of virtual reality (VR) experiences on human interaction and draws on basic research from fields like communication science, psychology, education, linguistics, computer science and engineering to refine and develop virtual reality technology for use in areas like education, training, therapy and rehabilitation and e-commerce.

More information about the CARISMA Lab and virtual reality research may be obtained from Brian Klebig

CMC Interaction Lab

Located in Oyer Hall, the CMC Interaction Lab allows for experiments to be conducted where participants are able to communicate with one another using computers in a distraction-free, closed environment. Additionally, the lab also allows for careful examination of nonverbal behaviors in one-on-one face-to-face interactions.

More information on the CMC Interaction Lab may be obtained from Dr. Brandon Van derHeide

Family Communication and Relationships Lab

The Family Communication and Relationships Lab is a social science lab at Utah State University and Michigan State University which houses a collection of researchers and students invested in understanding the complex dynamics of family communication in a variety of contexts.

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Neuroscience of Messages Lab

The Neuroscience of Messages Lab follows messages under the skin and examines the responses they evoke. We study messages across a variety of communication contexts, including health communication, political communication, interpersonal communication, and entertainment. Our main research tools include functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG/ERP), and related imaging methods. We combine these methods with self-report and linguistic measures, and behavioral testing.

Learn More About the Neuroscience of Messages Lab

Interdisciplinary Laboratory for research on Cognition, Attitudes, and the Study of Emotion

In the CASE laboratory, our faculty are fundamentally interested in the role of emotion on the processes underlying effects of human communication. Our faculty study risk perception, health communication, and mass communication effects—but, we all share a common fascination with emotion as a mechanism explaining impacts of communication.

Learn more about the CASE Lab

Theoretical and Applied Research on Media Affect and Cognition (TARMAC) Lab

The Theoretical and Applied Research on Media Affect and Cognition (TARMAC) lab is a state of the art media psychology lab on the second floor of the Communication Arts and Sciences Building at MSU. The lab space has four separate areas including: a welcome room, a room with 12 computers for web-based and reaction-time studies, a “living-room” area for television and video game research, and a virtual reality and gaming area with four computers equipped with eye-tracking and Oculus Rift headgear.

Learn more about the TARMAC Lab