Carpenter, C. J. (2012). A meta-analysis of gender differences in responses to sexual versus emotional infidelity. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 36, 25-37.

Carpenter, C. J. (2012). A trim and fill examination of the extent of publication bias in communication research. Communication Methods and Measures,6, 41-55.

Boster, F. J., Carpenter, C. J., Andrews, K. R., & Mongeau, P. A. (2012). Employing interpersonal influence to promote behavioral change. Health Communication, 27, 399-407.

Miczo, N., & Miczo, L. A. (2012, July). Family communication patterns, illness attitudes, and the willingness to disclose symptoms to parents. Paper presented at the International Association for Relationship Research Conference, Chicago, IL.

Chris Carpenter, Assistant Professor Communication, debates at Oxford

From University Relations:

Western Illinois University Department of Communication Assistant Professor Chris Carpenter was invited to debate at the Oxford Union Society in England in May. Carpenter, who has done extensive research on social media issues, was invited to speak on the motion, “This House Believes Social Media has Successfully Reinvented Social Activism.”

The Oxford Union, which holds no political views, has been called the “world’s most prestigious debating society” with a reputation for bringing international guests and speakers to Oxford. The society was established 189 years ago to promote debate and discussion at both Oxford University and around the world.

“It went very well,” Carpenter said of his trip. “There were seven speakers and each side took turns speaking. I talked about the communication research on social media and social activism.” The research and the debate included the premise that social media can work for and against activists, such as in Iran, Egypt and Syria. “This was one of the most fun things I have ever done,” Carpenter said of the debate. “It was definitely a culmination of years of debate practice; it was the Olympics of debate for me. It was very rewarding and I had a good time talking to the other debaters.”

Read more.

Alumni Presenters, Communication Career Preparation Day 2011

The Communication Department is preparing for the 4th Annual Career Preparation Day on September 13, 2012. And they are looking for Communication alumni who would like to return to Western Illinois University and share their experiences with current students to help them better understand the challenges of the working world.

In particular, the organizers are hoping that Communication alumni will share experiences about internships, how they prepared for their current position, and interviewing/networking tips. In a challenging business environment, help from alumni can make all the difference for our current students.

If you are interested in sharing your expertise with our students please email or call Cindy Ridle at (309) 298-2107 or CA-Ridle@wiu.edu or Stacey Macchi at (309) 298-1794 or SM-Macchi @wiu.edu

Comm will post the 2012  Communication Career Preparation Day information on their website.  Check there for more information.

Faculty Summer Institute, University of Illinois

Breanna Mcewan attended the annual Faculty Summer Institute at the University of Illinois.

Faculty Summer Institute (FSI) is a 3-day conference for higher education instructors and other professionals. Participants come from Illinois state universities, community colleges, private institutions, and out-of-state universities.

FSI offers presentations, workshops, and hands-on training involving the latest technological advances in education. Participants may choose to exclusively follow one of three tracks, or attend any session in any track. The tracks all correspond to this year’s theme: Learn & Lead.

Mcewan will also present “Sharing and Caring on Social Network Sites: An Actor Partner Interdependence Model
Investigation of Facebook Relational Maintenance” at the International Association of Relationship Research Conference in Chicago in July.

Nathan Miczo, Associate Professor, Communication

Nathan Miczo has been busy researching, writing and publishing this year. COFAC faculty stay busy on top of their teaching duties.  He has presented and published chapters in several books.

• Miczo, N. (2012, February). Opposite-sex affinity-seeking, self-criticism, and masculinity-femininity as predictors of dieting attitudes. Paper presented to the Interpersonal Communication Interest Group, Western States Communication Association, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• Miczo, N. (2012). Reflective conversation as a foundation for communicative virtue. In T. J. Socha & M. J. Pitts (Eds.), The positive side of interpersonal communication (pp. 73-89). New York: Peter Lang.
• Miczo, N., & Miczo, L. A. (2012). Humor in intercultural interactions: Challenges and pitfalls. In R. DiCioccio (Ed.), Humor communication: Theory, impact, outcomes. Kendall Hunt.  This chapter was co-authored with Lisa Miczo:
• Miczo, N. (2012). Humor and message production. In R. DiCioccio (Ed.), Humor communication: Theory, impact, outcomes. Kendall Hunt.

Sarah Noack, right, with faculty mentor Professor Lisa Miczo

Sarah Noack, senior from Eureka, has received the Fourth Place award from the WIU Phi Kappa Phi Undergraduate Research Paper Committee for her paper entitled, “Silent Music: The Impact of Nonverbal Communication in Live Music Performance.” The recognition includes a $150 monetary award. Sarah received the award at the Phi Kappa Phi Banquet on April 15. Sarah’s mentor is Professor Lisa Miczo.

Sarah also received the first place award for Communication for her research presentation at Undergraduate Research Day. Her honors thesis exhibition at Undergraduate Research Day represents the expansion of her Phi Kappa Phi project into a full-blown honors thesis of the same name. She did an empirical study of participants’ responses to the same musical piece performed with less or more nonverbal expressiveness as an exploration of the elements that affect audience members’ performance appreciation.

Sarah Noack with her Undergraduate Research Day presentation

Chris Carpenter, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication

From University Relations:
When Darth Vader was introduced as the dark side of the Force in the first installment of the original trilogy, “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” (1977), Christopher Carpenter, the 30-year old assistant professor of communication at Western Illinois University, was not yet born.

Now, Carpenter is getting worldwide news coverage for his study of the “dark side,” but on the timely subject of Facebook.

Carpenter’s study, “Narcissism on Facebook: Self-promotional and Anti-social Behavior,” is published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, Vol. 52, issue 4 (March 2012), p. 482-486, as well as on numerous other websites.

Narcissism is defined in this study as “a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration and an exaggerated sense of self-importance,” Carpenter said.

For the average narcissist, Facebook “offers a gateway for hundreds of shallow relationships and emotionally detached communication.” More importantly, for this study, social networking in general allows the user a great deal of control over how he or she is presented to and perceived by peers and other users, he added.

Read more.

Patrick Stufflebeam, BA 1999, Communication, Music minor

Patrick Stufflebeam, BA communication, minor music 1999, has been elected to partnership in HeplerBroom LLC, Edwardsville, IL office.

Patrick Stufflebeam is a litigation attorney in the areas of products and premises liability with a special emphasis on toxic tort defense, including asbestos, manganese and silica.

Stufflebeam is admitted to practice in Missouri, Illinois, the U.S. District Court of Southern Illinois, Asbestos MDL, U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Stufflebeam is a member of the Illinois Association Defense Trial Counsel, Board of Directors, Madison County Bar Association, and the Defense Research Institute.

He graduated from Saint Louis University School of Law in 2002. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Western Illinois University in 1999, magna cum laude.

HeplerBroom has 80 attorneys and offices in St. Louis, Edwardsville, Springfield and Chicago. The firm traces its history to 1894.

Congratulations to Patrick Stufflebeam.  A double COFAC grad!