Current work
Current projects include:
Media use and wellbeing among older adults
Children's use of media in hospitals
Media use in the lives of older adults
Media, stereotypes, and prejudice
Psychological mechanisms underlying narrative influence
Understanding audience engagement with TV in the age of streaming (i.e., "binge watching")
Gamers' motivations for volunteering and charitable giving
Selected recent work
Narrative Influence, Media Uses & Effects
M Mustafaj, S Dal Cin
Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications
Discounting Counter-Stereotypical Representations in Entertainment Based on Existing Beliefs (OSF)
M Mustafaj, S Dal Cin
Media Psychology, 1-27
I Vranken, S Dal Cin, L Vandenbosch
Journal of Children and Media, 1-11
Philanthropic, prosocial players: How game-related charity events motivate unlikely donors
AC Cote, S Dal Cin, L Exelmans, M Mustafaj
New Media & Society 26 (8), 4867-4884
The interplay of parenting style and family rules about video games on subsequent fighting behavior
AC Cote, SM Coles, S Dal Cin
Aggressive behavior 47 (2), 135-147
AC Couture Bue, S Dal Cin, K Harrison
Media Psychology 26 (3), 336-361
An experimental examination of binge watching and narrative engagement
SE Erickson, S Dal Cin, H Byl
Social Sciences 8 (1), 19
Media across the Life Course
Patterns of media use and leisure time among older adults
S Dal Cin, M Mustafaj, K Nielsen
New Media & Society 25 (9), 2359-2380
Portrayals of Work Values in Popular TV series (OSF)
I Vranken, L Vandenbosch, S Dal Cin
Getting Involved
If you are interested in pursuing graduate level work in the MAPiEL Lab, follow the normal application procedures for the Department of Communication and Media. Note that admission is program-level; there are no positions tied specifically to membership in the MaPiEL Lab.
Undergraduate students are an important part of the lab! Undergraduates in any major may apply to work on our projects through the UROP program. Applications are accepted through the UROP office and applications are typically due in the summer before the academic term.
It is also possible to join the lab as a volunteer or to do a research experience course or thesis research (in either Communication and Media or Psychology). Undergraduate students at the U of M wishing to do a for-credit research placement or honors thesis must meet the eligibility and enrollment conditions set by either the Department of Communication and Media (for Communication and Media majors) or Department of Psychology (for Psychology majors).
Communication and Media majors can conduct research through Comm 322: Faculty Directed Undergraduate Research Practicum, Comm 441: Independent Reading or Comm 442: Independent Research. Students may wish to apply for the Honors/Senior Thesis program in Communication and Media; information can be found in the undergraduate program section of the department website.
Psychology or BCN majors can conduct research though one of several courses in the Psychology department—speak to a Psychology department academic advisor for details. Psychology students wishing to join the lab should contact Dr. Dal Cin directly, and are typically expected to have some prior involvement with the lab (e.g., UROP, volunteering) before enrolling in a research practicum or thesis course with us.
Students interested in learning more about the lab and the work we do are always welcome to "sit in" at a meeting. Please contact Dr. Dal Cin or a graduate student lab member to make arrangements.