I am an Assistant Professor of Communication at George Washington University. I completed my PhD in Communication at Ohio State University. My research is motivated by understanding how message design can reduce barriers to information processing, and how information processing evoked through message design can facilitate engagement and persuasion. I explore these relationships in health, science, and political contexts. I teach core communication classes and persuasion.
Jul 2019
Bullock, O.M., Colon-Amill, D, Shulman, H.C., & Dixon, G.
Public Understanding of Science
Jargon Science communicationIn this experiment (N = 650), we examine the negative consequences of jargon on individuals’ perceptions of emerging scientific technology and aim to explain these effects. We find that the presence of jargon impairs people’s ability to process scientific information, and that this impairment leads to greater motivated resistance to persuasion, increased risk perceptions, and lower support for technology adoption. These findings suggest that the use of jargon undermines efforts to inform and persuade the public through the cognitive mechanism of metacognition.
For a copy of any of the articles listed below, please feel free to email me through my website contact form.
See All PublicationsShulman, H.C., Sweitzer, D.M, Bullock, O.M., Coronel, J.C., Bond, R.M., & Poulsen, S.
Read AbstractDeAndrea, D.C., & Bullock, O.M.
Read AbstractShulman, H.C., Bullock, O.M., & Riggs, E.E.
Journal of Language and Social Psychology
Read AbstractBullock, O.M., Shulman, H.C., & Huskey, R.
Read AbstractCoronel, J.C., Bullock, O.M., Sweitzer, M.D., Bond, R.M., Poulsen, S., & Shulman, H.C.
Read AbstractBullock, O.M., & Shulman, H.C.
Read AbstractAs a former public relations practitioner, and an advocate of sharing scholarship publicly, I always enjoy it when my research makes it into the news. Check out this popular press coverage of some of my publications.
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