Margaret Ellis Thompson

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University of Denver
Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
Mass Communications & Journalism Studies
Associate ProfessorAppointed: 1989
University of Wisconsin-Madison
College of Letters and Science
Psychology
CopyeditorAppointed: 1986

Mailing Address

2490 S. Gaylord Street
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado 80208
United States

Contact Information

Phone: (303) 871-3947
Fax: (303) 871-4949
mthompso@du.edu

Qualifications

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mass Communication, 1989.
M.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison, Consumer Journalism, 1982.
B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison, Journalism, 1978.

Expertise and Research Interests

My research focuses on cognitive processing and effects of mass communication related to a variety of content. I have conducted research on both adolescents and adults, and also compared different sub-groups related to gender, family communication patterns, and personal experience in their interpretations of media content. I have examined processing and effects related to environmental issues, pornography, entertainment content, and 1st Amendment issues.

Currently, I am conducting three studies related to media processing:
(1) critical thinking about 1st Amendment issues on television, to explore how critical thinking skills and general 1st Amendment attitudes shape processing and opinions toward specificfree speech issues;
(2) viewer interpretationof the popular movie, ''Thelma & Louise, '' comparing gender groups;
(3) a study integrating processing theories and the spiral of silence, a theory of public opinion.

Although I was trained as a social scientist, my recent work has involved analysesfrom both social sciences and critical studies perspectives.

More recently, my research focuses on international and intercultural communication, related to mass media and communication technologies, feminism and gender issues, and issues of media andculture.

Other Expertise

Academic Experience:
international and intercultural communication, new communication technologies, media & culture, feminism and gender issues in communication, development communication, mass media effects; research methods; media and politics

Director, M.A. in International and Intercultural Communication

Keywords

COS Keywords:

Adolescents, Appropriate Technology, Broadcast Media, Cognitive Development Or Processes, Communications Technology, Cross Cultural Studies, Cultural Diversity, Cultural History, Educational or Cultural Exchange Programs, Family, Information Technology, Instructional Technology, International, International Affairs, International Economics, International Education or Training, International or Global Development, International Relations or Diplomacy, International Rights, International Studies Education, Mass Communication, Multimedia or Interactive Communications Technology, Political Behavior, Women's Education, Women's History, Women's Studies.

Additional Terms:

Adolescents, Broadcast Media, Critical, Cultural Studies Cognitive Processes, Development, Evaluation Research, Experimental Research, Family, Feminism, Intercultural Communication, International Communication, Mass Communication, Mass Media Effects, Methodologies, New Communication Technologies, Political Behavior, Racism, Survey Research.

Memberships

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
International Communication Association

Previous Positions

1988, Instructor, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Basic Computer Applications
1985, Teaching Assistant, University of Wisconsin-Madison
1984-1988, Editor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, IVE Project
1983-1986, Lecturer, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Publications

  • Thompson, M., Pingree, S., Hawkins, R.P., & Draves, C., (1991). Long-term norms and cognitive structures as shapers of television viewer activity. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 35(3), 319-334
  • Hawkins, R.P., Pingree, S., Fitzpatrick, M.A., Thompson, M.E., & Bauman, I. (1991). Implications of concurrent measures of viewer reactions. Human Communication Research, 17(3), 485-504
  • Pingree, Suzanne and Margaret E. Thompson (1990). "The Family in Daytime Serials." In J. Bryant (Ed.), Television and the American Family. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
  • Thompson, M.E., Chaffee, S., & Oshagan, H. (1990). Regulating pornography: A public dilemma. Journal of Communication, 40(3), 73-83
  • Thompson, M.E., Brown, J., & Walsh-Childers, K. (in press). Understanding Sexual Content: The Influence of Family Communication Patterns. In B. Greenberg, J. Brown, & N. Buerkel-Rothfuss (Eds.), Media, Sex, and the Adolescent. Ablex

Profile Details

Last Updated: 12/9/2004

COS Expertise ID #299366
Reference this profile directly: http://myprofile.cos.com/thompsom66