Communication

Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter

Associate Professor
2131 Quad Cities
Office Phone: (309) 762-9481 x62324
Email: CJ-Carpenter2@wiu.edu
Professional website: commcarpenter.com

Chris Carpenter came into the field of Communication after several years as a successful competitor in both Speech and Debate (2002 Pi Kappa Delta National Policy Debate Champion). In general, he is actively researching social influence and close relationships in online and offline contexts using field studies, lab experiments, surveys, network analyses, and meta-analyses. His most recent work has examined using opinion leaders for persuasive campaigns via face-to-face and computer-mediated channels, motivated reasoning, and observing others on social network sites.

Chris has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles in outlets such as Communication Research, Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Annals of the International Communication Association, Communication Monographs, Health Communication, and Computers in Human Behavior. He has had over 70 conference papers accepted at regional, national, and international conferences. He was also a co-author on the chapter on functional attitude theories in the 2nd edition of The Sage Handbook of Persuasion and entries in a variety of recently published encyclopedias related to Communication. One of Chris’s most exciting experiences as a scholar was debating the value of social media at the Oxford Union in 2012.

Education

Ph.D. Communication, Michigan State University - 2010
M.A. Communication, Northern Illinois University - 2006
B.A. Psychology, North Central College - 2004

Teaching Areas

Social Influence
Interpersonal
Quantitative Research Methods & Statistics
Computer-Mediated Communication
Communication Theory

Research Interests

Cognitive Processing of Persuasive Messages
Compliance Gaining
Close Relationships
Meta-analysis
Persuasive Campaigns
Social Networking Sites