Fielding Graduate University is holding an orientation for new doctoral students in media psychology in Santa Barbara. (Fielding has the only doctoral program in media psychology in the U.S.) This is the first time I’ve participated from the ‘orienter’ rather than ‘orientee’ perspective. It is fun to get to know new people, of course, but it is also really inspiring on two counts. The first is that seeing other’s enthusiasm reminds me how exciting a field media psychology really is. The second is how different it is to have an incoming class of accomplished adults rather than people who, though no less enthusiastic, are at the beginning of their careers. (Now I recognize my bias here as an old person, which I am defining as anything over 35.) Not only do adult learners bring a wealth of experience and skills from different backgrounds, partly a product of media psychology’s breadth, but they also have the wisdom that comes from living through the changing technologies and knowing first hand how change impacts people and society. Now granted there is something to be said for knowing out of the womb how to use a video controller, which I never will, but there is also the appreciation of the cognitive processes necessary for adoption. The sore mental muscles of learning to adapt are pretty useful in helping others come to terms with the rapidly changing and increasingly ubiquitous media environment.
March 10, 2008
September 20, 2007
Media Psychology Research Center blog
We are excited to add a blog to the Media Psychology Research Center (MPR) website. The MPR is an independent, not-for-profit research organization that is a collaboration of researchers and award-winning media developers. As you can see from our home page, we are located in the Boston Children’s Museum Building on Children’s Wharf in Boston.
With this blog, we hope to expand the conversation about Media Psychology. Media psychology for us, as our tag line suggests, is an intersection between human experience and media. The proliferation of old and new media forms and advances in technology means that ideas and innovations at this nexus will come from many disciplines. We want to bridge the gaps among academic disciplines, research, and applications to spark the creativity and innovation that can put the power of media to work for positive change.
We welcome your thoughts!
