curriculum vitae

Education

Ph.D. Mass Communications, 2016

    • Department of Telecommunications
    • Indiana University
    • Dissertation: The moral mind: An investigation of human moral decision making in a virtual environment (full text)
    • Advisor: Andrew Weaver, Ph.D.
    • Minor: Psychology

M.A. Telecommunications, 2011

    • Department of Telecommunications
    • Indiana University
    • Thesis: Skill gap: Quantifying violent content in video game play between variably skilled users (full text)
    • Advisor: Andrew Weaver, Ph.D.

B.A. Telecommunications, 2007

    • Department of Telecommunications
    • University of Georgia
    • Senior thesis: The mod effect: The influence of game modifications on the game industry
    • Advisor: Anandam (Andy) Kavoori, Ph.D.

Research Interests

    • Media psychology
    • Moral psychology
    • Communication technology (video games specialization)
    • Interpersonal communication
    • Processing and effects (limited capacity and heuristics/biases specialization)

Academic Appointments

2020-Present, Assistant Professor

2019-2020, Research Specialist & Senior Lecturer

2017-2019, Visiting Assistant Professor

2016-2017, Assistant Professor

2016, Visiting Instructor

Refereed Journal Articles

Monge, C. K., Matthews, N. L. (2024). Blaming the Smurf: Using a Novel Social Deception Behavior in Online Games to Test Attribution Theories. New Media and Society. Advance Online Publication. doi.org/10.1177/14614448241235638

Matthews, N. L., Francemone, J., Monge, C. K., Fitzgerald, K., Lynch, T., Grizzard, M. (Published online 2023). The effects of side-taking on narrative entertainment and the perceptions of events and characters. Media Psychology. Open Access: doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2023.2255845

Francemone, J., Matthews, N. L. (2023; published online 2022). Moral Tipping Points: How Trait Moral Salience Moderates Judgments of Narrative Characters along the Moral Continuum. Journal of Media Psychology, 35(4), 221-227. doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000367

Matthews, N. L., Bayer, J. B., Sude, D., Sowden, W. J. (Published online 2023). How Moral Adaptability Relates to Communication and Friendship with Morally Dissimilar Others. Communication Monographs, 90(4), 499-521. Open Access: doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2023.2231519

Matthews, N. L. & Bonus, J. A. (2023; published online 2021). How moral expectancy violations influence audiences’ affective dispositions toward characters. Communication Research, 50(3). doi: 10.1177/00936502211039959

Lynch, T., Matthews, N. L., Gilbert, M., Jones, S., Freiberger, N. (2022). Explicating How Skill Determines the Qualities of User-Avatar Bonds. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(713687). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.713678

Grizzard, M., Matthews, N. L., Francemone, J. & Fitzgerald, K. (2021). Do Audiences Judge the Morality of Characters Relativistically? How Interdependence Affects Perceptions of Characters’ Temporal Moral Descent. Human Communication Research, 47(4), 338-363. doi: 10.1093/hcr/hqab011

Bonus, J. A., Matthews, N. L., Wulf, T. (2021). The impact of moral expectancy violations on audiences’ parasocial relationships with movie heroes and villains. Communication Research, 48(4), 550-572. doi: 10.1177/0093650219886516

Bonus, J. A., Wulf, T., Matthews, N. L. (2020). The cost of clairvoyance: Enjoyment and appreciation of popular movies as a function of affective forecasting errors. Journal of Media Psychology, 32(4), 216-222. doi: 10.1027/1864-1105/a000268

Matthews, N. L. (2019) Detecting the boundaries of disposition bias on moral judgments of media characters’ behaviors using social judgment theory. Journal of Communication, 69(4), 418-441. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqz021 (free full text)

Huskey, R., Bowman, N., Eden, A., Grizzard, M., Hahn, L., Lewis, R., Matthews, N. L., Tamborini, R., Walther, J., Weber, R. (2018). Things we know about media and morality. Nature Human Behavior, 2(5). doi: 10.1038/s41562-018-0349-9 (full text)

Read-Bullock, G., Lynch, T., Matthews, N. L. (2018). Increased cognitive load during video game play reduces rape myth acceptance and hostile sexism after exposure to female avatars. Sex Roles, 79(11). doi: 10.1007/s11199-018-0905-9 (full text)

Matthews, N. L., Lynch, T., Martins, N. (2016). Real ideal: Investigating how normal and ideal video game bodies affect men and women. Computers in Human Behavior, 59, 155-164. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.01.026 (full text).

Martins, N., Matthews, N. L., & Rabindra, R. (2015). Playing by the rules: Parental mediation of video game play. Journal of Family Issues, 38(9). doi: 10.1177/0192513X15613822 (full text).

Matthews, N. L. (2015). Too good to care: The effect of skill on hostility and aggression following violent video game play. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 219-225. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.01.059 (full text).

Matthews, N. L., & Weaver, A. J. (2013). Skill gap: Quantifying violent content in video game play between variably skilled users. Mass Communication and Society, 16(6), 829-846. doi: 10.1080/15205436.2013.773043 (full text).

Matthews, N. L., Speers, L. M., Ball, J. M. (2012). Bathroom banter: Sex, love, and the bathroom wall. Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality, 15 (full text).

Book Chapters

Lang, A., Almond, A., Zheng, X., Lynch, T., Matthews, N. L. (2018) Learning to play: How virtual world affordances drive adaptation and learning in grand theft auto. In J. Breuer, D. Pietschmann, B. Liebold, & B. P. Lange (Eds.), Evolutionary Psychology and Digital Games: Digital Hunter-Gatherers. Routledge. (link to source)

Matthews N. L. (2018). The interplay between games and morality. In J. Breuer, D. Pietschmann, B. Liebold, & B. P. Lange (Eds.), Evolutionary Psychology and Digital Games: Digital Hunter-Gatherers. Routledge. (link to source)

Lynch, T. & Matthews N. L. (2017). Life and death. In S. Jones (Ed.), Avatars, Assembled: The Sociotechnical Anatomy of Digital Bodies. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing. (link to source)

Matthews, N. L. (2017). Levels of measurement. In J. Matthes (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. doi: 10.1002/9781118901731

Refereed Published Abstracts

Potter, R., Falk, M., Bae, S., Lynch, T., Matthews, N. L., Kraus, A., Mayell, S. (2012). Does the orienting response habituate to repeating auditory structural features that vary in semantic content? Society for Psychophysiological Research. Psychophysiology, 49, S74. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2012.01440.x (full text).

Submitted Manuscripts

Monge, C. K., Matthews, N. L., DeAndrea, D.* (Authors contributed equally). (Under Revision). Title omitted for blind review. Journal of Communication.

Other Publications

Matthews, N. L. (April 2, 2013). Video games, violence, and common sense. Gamedeveloper.com.

Awards & Honors

    • Top Paper Award, NCA, Mass Communication Division, 2020
    • Top Paper Award, ICA, Mass Communication Division, 2019
    • Top Paper Award, BEA Symposium, 2017
    • Excellence in Teaching, UCONN, 2016
    • “Rookie [Professor] of the Year,” Student Communication Society, UCONN, 2016
    • College of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Fellowship, IU, FA2014 – SP2015 ($20,000)
    • Top Student Paper, AEJMC, Mass Communication & Society Division, 2014 ($75)
    • AEJMC Graduate Student Travel Award, 2014 ($750)
    • College of Arts and Sciences Travel Award, FA2013 ($250)
    • Merit Fellowship, FA2010 – SP2014 ($1000 per annum)
    • Graduate Tuition Scholarship, FA2008 – SP2014 ($11,500 – 15,500 per annum)

Conference Papers

Matthews, N. L., (May 2022). The Effects of Disclosure and Liking on Judgements of Immoral Behavior. International Communication Association, Paris, France.

Matthews, N. L., Bonus, J. A. (November 2021). How the morality of behaviors affects perceptions of competence and identification with media characters. National Communication Association, Seattle, WA.

Matthews, N. L., Bayer, J., Sude, D., Sowden, W. (May 2021). How Moral Relativism Influences the Willingness to Communicate with Dissimilar Others. International Communication Association, Denver, CO.

Matthews, N. L., Bonus, J. A. (November 2020). How audiences update character dispositions in response to moral expectancy violations. National Communication Association, Indianapolis, IN. *Top Paper Award – 1st Place

Grizzard, M., Francemone, C. J., Matthews, N. L. (November 2020) Temporal moral descent: A multilevel analysis of disposition formation processes over time. National Communication Association, Indianapolis, IN.

Francemone, C. J., Matthews, N. L. (November 2020). Moral tipping points: Assessing how trait moral beliefs moderate judgments along the moral continuum. National Communication Association, Indianapolis, IN.

Gilbert, M., Lynch, T., Matthews, N. L. (May 2020). A Part of Us? Using Video Games to Observe Identification with Characters Longitudinally. International Communication Association, Gold Coast, Australia.  

Bonus, J. A., Matthews, N. L., Wulf, T. (May 2019). The impact of moral expectancy violations on audiences’ parasocial relationships with movie heroes and villains. International Communication Association, Washington D.C., USA. *Top Paper Award

Wulf, T., Bonus, J. A., Matthews, N. L. (May 2019). The cost of clairvoyance: Enjoyment and appreciation of popular films as a function of affective forecasting errors. International Communication Association, Washington D.C., USA.

Matthews, N. L. (May 2018). Using social judgement theory to model long-term narrative effects. International Communication Association, Prague, Czech Republic.

Matthews, N. L. (April 2017). Investigating how non-player characters influence socially-strategic moral decisions. The Broadcast Education Association, Vegas. *Top Paper Award

Matthews, N. L., Falcão, T., Rangel, L. T. (November 2016). Visualizing competition and metagaming as behavioral marks. National Communication Association, Philadelphia.

Wu, Y., & Matthews, N. L. (November 2016). Investigating skill’s effect on eye movement strategy in violent video games. National Communication Association, Philadelphia.

Matthews, N. L., Lynch, T., Read, G. (June 2016). Experiencing games: Investigating what influences the adverse effects of game violence. International Communication Association, Fukuoka, Japan.

Read, G., Lynch T., Matthews, N. L. (June 2016) Playing versus watching a sexualized female avatar under varied cognitive load. International Communication Association, Fukuoka, Japan.

Matthews, N. L. (November 2015). The moral middle ground: Moral disengagement in morally incongruent interactive scenarios. National Communication Association, Las Vegas.

Martins, N., Matthews, N. L., & Rabindra, R. (November 2014). Playing by the rules: Parental mediation of video game play. National Communication Association, Chicago.

Matthews, N. L. (August 2014). Too good to care: The effect of skill on hostility and aggression following violent video game play. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Montréal. *Top Student Paper (PDF).

Weaver, A. J., Matthews, N. L., Lewis, N., Fangxin, X. (May 2014). Narrative and moral perspective-taking as determinants of players’ antisocial behavior. International Communication Association, Seattle.

Matthews, N. L., & Lynch, T. (November 2013). Not to be misconstrued: Using construal level theory to investigate the effects of narrative and avatar identification on aggression, hostility, and prosocial outcomes. National Communication Association, District of Columbia (PDF).

Matthews, N. L., Jensen, J. D., Martins, N., Ivec, R. (August 2013). Handheld media use at school: increased use negatively impacts reading outcomes. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, District of Columbia (PDF).

Matthews, N. L., Lynch, T., Martins, N. (June 2013). Real ideal: The effects of attainable and unattainable video game bodies on users’ body-image disturbance. International Communication Association, London (PDF).

Matthews, N. L. (April 2013). Defining and measuring construal level. Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas.

Potter, R., Falk, M., Bae, S., Lynch, T., Matthews, N. L., Kraus, A., Mayell, S. (September 2012). Does the orienting response habituate to repeating auditory structural features that vary in semantic content? Society for Psychological Research, New Orleans.

Potter, R., Falk, M., Bae, S., Lynch, T., Matthews, N. L., Kraus, A., Mayell, S. (August 2012). Does automatic attention allocation to auditory structural features habituate? Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Chicago.

Matthews, N. L. (November 2011). Skill gap: Quantifying the amount and type of generated violent content in video game play between variably skilled users. National Communication Association, New Orleans.

Spears, L. M., Matthews, N. L., Ball, J. M. (November 2010). Bathroom banter: Sex, love, and the bathroom wall. National Communication Association, San Francisco.

Panel Organization & Participation

Working smarter, not harder: Examples and tips for how research and teaching can complement one another. (April 2017). With Coronado, K., Eden, A., Lynch, T., Matthews, C., Matthews, N. L., Rubenking, R. Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas.

Applying dynamic, complex systems approaches in communication research. (November 2016). With Almond, A., Boyan, A., Lang, A., Lynch, T., Matthews, N. L., Sherry, J. National Communication Association, Philadelphia.

Exploring new terrain in the processing of moral content in media messages. (November 2016). With Eden, A., Grizzard, M., Hahn, L., Krakowiak, M., Lewis, R., Matthews, N. L., Raney, A., Sanders, M., Tamborini, R, Tsay-Vogel, M., and Weaver, A. J. National Communication Association, Philadelphia.

The challenges of objective fandom in games scholarship. (June 2016). With Matthews, N. L. International Communication Association, Fukuoka, Japan.

Communicating open science: What the communication field has to offer to the next scientific revolution (June 2016). With Elson, M., Ivory, J., Kalyanaraman, S., Lynch, T., Matthews, N. L., Sarge, M. International Communications Association, Fukuoka, Japan.

Theories and considerations for bridging moral psychology and communications research. (November 2015). With Bowman, N. D., Grizzard, M., Lewis, R., Matthews, N. L., and Weaver, A. J. National Communication Association, Las Vegas.

Psycho/biological considerations for human interactions within video games. (November 2014). With Bowman, N. D., Cummings, J., Grizzard, M., Huskey, R., Lynch, T., and Matthews N. L. National Communication Association, Chicago.

Methods and considerations for measuring media responses. (April 2013). With Bailey, R., Keene, J., Lewis, N., Lynch, T., Matthews, N. L., and Westcott-Baker, A. Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas.

Other Presentations

Francemone, J., Matthews, N. L. (2022). Moral Tipping Points: How Trait Moral Salience Moderates Judgments of Narrative Characters along the Moral Continuum. Presented at Media & Morality Meeting at Michigan State University.

Weaver, A. J., Matthews, N. L. & Lewis, N. (2021). Shifting moral behavior: The role of narrative in shaping in-game decisions. Presented at Media & Morality Meeting at UC Davis.

Matthews, N. L. & James A. Bonus (2019). Twisting ADT: Investigating how schema-atypical behaviors affect moral evaluations. Presented at Moral Media Meeting at Michigan State University.

Matthews, N. L. (2018). Using social judgment theory’s ordered alternative procedure to detect disposition bias boundaries. Presented at Moral Media Meeting at the Ohio State University.

Matthews, N. L. (2017). Expanding the moral disengagement construct. Presented at Morality & Media at MSU at Michigan State University.

Matthews, N. L. (2012). Halfway there: The historic marriage and (possible) future divorce of tenure and academic freedom. Poster presented at Understanding Academic Freedom: History, Purpose, Threats, and Successes at Indiana University.

Matthews, N. L. (2007). The mod effect. Poster presented at the Grady Communication Research Symposium at the University of Georgia.

Invited Talks

Teaching UX Principles

    • UX Community of Practice, 2022
    • The Ohio State University

Moral Judgment Biases in Media Entertainment

    • Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, 2021
    • University of Georgia

Intersecting Communication and Moral Psychology

    • College of Communication and Information, 2021
    • Florida State University

Campus Talks

Scalable Online Instruction

    • OSU School of Communication GSO Online Teaching Panel, 2020
    • The Ohio State University

Detecting the Boundaries of Biased Moral Judgments

    • OSU School of Communication Research Colloquium, 2019
    • The Ohio State University

Expanding and Refining Moral Disengagement

    • OSU School of Communication Research Colloquium, Sept 2017
    • The Ohio State University

Making Conflict/Cooperation

    • COMM Speaker Series, April 2016
    • University of Connecticut

Modding Skyrim for Video Game Research

    • Graduate Game Design Group, Oct 2014
    • Indiana University

Current trends in social scientific research on video games

    • Games Research Seminar, Feb 2014
    • Indiana University

Teaching Experience – Courses Taught

The Ohio State University

    • Human-Computer Interaction & User Experience, 2022-2021
    • [Online] Communication & Society, 2020-2017
    • [Online] Video Games and Society, 2022-2020
    • [Online/offline hybrid] Public Speaking, 2018
    • [Online & offline hybrid] Communication & Decision Making, 2023, 2018, 2017

DigiPen Institute of Technology

    • Media & Ethics: A Social Science Perspective, SP2017
    • Interpersonal and Work Communication, SP2017, FA2016
    • Introduction to Popular Culture, FA2016

University of Connecticut

    • Effects of Mass Media, SP2016
    • Research Methods in Communication, SP2016
    • Television Production, SP2016
    • Research Practicum in Communication, SP2016

Indiana University

    • Introduction to Design and Production, FA2015

Teaching Experience – Workshop Organizer

New Technologies and Virtual Reality. Thematic workshop organized with T. Lynch for the 4th Annual International Summer School, Münster, Germany, May 2018.

Teaching Experience – Guest Lectures

DigiPen Institute of Technology

    • Video games as popular culture, SP 2017

University of Connecticut

    • Dynamic Coordination Theory, SP 2016

Indiana University

    • Processing and effects of media violence, FA2015
    • A moral mashup: Reflections on game violence, SP2015
    • Video games as art: The ethics of pushing the envelope, SP2015, SP2014
    • The video game industry: Structure, strategies, & trends, FA2015, SU2015, SU2014
    • Everyday ethics: Bridging ethics and moral psychology, SP2014
    • Metacoverage: Issues and ethics, SP2014
    • Content analysis crash course, SP2014
    • Violence, morality, & enjoyment in video games, FA2012
    • Video games: Content, effects, & concerns, FA2011, SP2011

Research Experience – Research Assistantships

Nicole Martins, Indiana University, FA2012, SP2013

    • Surveyed adults to assess children-parent mediation of video games using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk
    • Co-authored a paper on children’s literacy and video game usage

Robert Potter, Indiana University, SP2012

Service to the Field

Editorial Board Member

    • Communication Research Reports

Journal Reviewer

2022

    • Technology, Mind, and Behavior (1)
    • Media Psychology (2)
    • Journal of Communication (1)
    • Computers in Human Behavior (2)

2021

    • Media Psychology (1)
    • Journal of Children and Media (1)
    • Communication Research (2)
    • Communication Theory (1)
    • Computers in Human Behavior (2)

2020

    • Social and Personality Psychology Compass (1)
    • Media Psychology (3)
    • Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media (2)
    • Journal of Children and Media (2)
    • Communication Theory (1)

2019

    • The Information Society (1)
    • Media Psychology (2)
    • Journal of communication (1)
    • Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media (2)
    • Communication Research Reports (1)

2018

    • Media Psychology (1)
    • Journal of Communication (2)
    • Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media (1)
    • Information, Communication, and Society (1)
    • Human Communication Research (1)
    • Communication Research Reports (1)
    • Communication Research (1)

2017

    • Media Psychology (1)

2016

    • Media Psychology (1)
    • Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media (1)
    • Communication Research Reports (1)

2013

    • Human Ethology Bulletin (1)
    • Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking (1)

2012

    • Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking (1)

Pre-conference organization

    • Just Games? (June 2016). International Communication Association, Game Studies Division, Japan
    • Gaming Bodies. (May 2015). International Communication Association, Game Studies Division, Puerto Rico

Poster Judge

    • International Summer School, Germany, 2018

Conference Reviewer

    • International Communication Association, 2013 to present
    • National Communication Association, 2014 to present
    • Foundation for Digital Games, 2012

Service to the University

Natasha Phillips, Personal Study Program Advisor, 2021-2022

Graduate & Professional Student Organization (GPSO) Rep, 2013 – 2014

GPSO Programming Sub-Committee, FA2013 – SP2014

Service to the Department

Graduate Student Advisees

    • Charles (Chas) Monge (Ph.D.)

Graduate Student Committee Membership

    • 2021, Rebecca Frazer (Ph.D)., comprehensive exam committee member
    • 2021, Charles (Joe) Francemone (Ph.D)., comprehensive exam committee member

Other Departmental Service

    • Assistant Professor Search Committee, 2022
    • Clinical Faculty Search Committee, 2021
    • Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, 2021-2023
    • Research group co-coordinator (Media Effects and Media Entertainment; MEME), 2020-present
    • Navigating Graduate School – Co-op Session Leader, 2015
    • Teaching Assistant Training,  2010, 2014
    • Graduate Student-Faculty Liaison, FA2012 – SP2013
    • Webmaster for the Institute for Communication Research, SP2012
    • Faculty Search Committee Graduate Student Rep., FA2011-SP2012
    • Departmental Graduate Ambassador, SP2010, FA2010, SP2012, SP2013, SP2014

Service to the Community

Event volunteer – WonderLab Museum’s Real Life Science: Get Techie

Selected Public Commentary

Expert opinion

Related Professional Skills

    • Video game modding
    • Adobe InDesign & Photoshop

Teaching Areas

    • Mass communications
    • Human computer interaction
    • User experience
    • Communication & technology
    • Morality and ethics
    • Public speaking
    • Design and production
    • Media psychology
    • Processing and effects
    • Media and society

Professional Memberships

    • International Communication Association
    • National Communication Association

Professional Experience

Graphic design & prepress management

    • Bryan County News, Jan 2008 – Aug 2008

Advertising editor & reporter

    • The Inkwell, Jan 2004 – May 2005

Web design & webmaster

    • Institute for Communication Research at IU, 2012
    • Bitteroot Hardwoods & Dimension, Summer 2010
    • Matte Wagner person website, Fall 2009 – Summer 2010
    • Fabrika Fine Fabrics, Summer 2008
    • Deacy Welding Supply, Summer 2006
    • The Inkwell, Aug 2004 – May 2005

Hobbies & Interests

  • Travel
  • Backpacking & hiking
  • Yoga
  • Watersports
  • Video games
  • Graphic design