Embedded Files
Media Effects, Discourse, Identity, and Analysis
The MEDIA Lab is led by Dr. Keiko McCullough (they/them), Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Denver
Where Media Psychology and Social Justice Meet
Where Media Psychology and Social Justice Meet
What We Study
What We Study
The MEDIA Lab investigates how media communications shape identities, social realities, and mental health outcomes across diverse contexts
Our Approach
Our Approach
We use quantitative and qualitative methods—integrating psychology, media studies, and critical disciplines
Our Vision
Our Vision
We seek to understand how media shapes inequalities to imagine more empowering digital landscapes
Knowledge in Motion
Knowledge in Motion
Our research is socially relevant, justice-focused, and accessible beyond academia
Our Research
Our Research
Our research brings together critical theories, media studies, and psychology to investigate media as a dynamic site where identity, culture, and power are simultaneously reflected, contested, and produced. We approach media not only as a mirror of social life but as a constitutive force—one that shapes how people understand themselves, relate to others, and experience the world. We are interested in a wide spectrum of mediated discourse, ranging from film and television to video games and social media. Our research is organized into three strands:
Quantitative
Quantitative
This strand explores the broad psychological effects of media consumption through a critical and cultural lens. We examine specific types of media use as social determinants of mental health and well-being.
Examples:
Qualitative
Qualitative
While the quantitative strand highlights broad patterns, our qualitative research offers close analyses of media texts. Using critical discursive psychology, we examine the visual and discursive construction of identities, attitudes, and cultural ideologies in mediated discourse (e.g., films, Instagram photos, tweets).
Examples:
Methodological
Methodological
This strand advances the field of Critical Discursive Psychology by integrating visual methods. A visually informed approach to critical discursive psychology illuminates how images and visual narratives construct meanings, psychologies, and inequalities.
Examples:
Behind the Screen
Behind the Screen
Get to know the researchers, students, and collaborators who make up the MEDIA Lab
We are passionate about making our research more accessible and understandable to the public
Knowledge Should Travel
Knowledge Should Travel
Research Sense for Korean American Therapy Podcast Episode
Research Sense for Korean American Therapy Podcast Episode
Check out this special interview episode with Dr. McCullough
Hearabouts: Asian American Midwest Radio
Hearabouts: Asian American Midwest Radio
Listen to the radio show co-developed by Dr. McCullough in partnership with the Indiana University's Asian Culture Center and WFHB
Shaping Stories
Shaping Stories
Dr. McCullough consults with small business media and documentary film companies, bridging psychology and production. They help shape projects, translate research, and guide representations of mental health, race, and gender to ensure narratives are accurate, ethical, and culturally responsive.
Google Sites
Report abuse