معرفی
Elena Bessarabova is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences, University of Oklahoma. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland (2010) and teaches courses on persuasion, deception, interpersonal relationships, risk and crisis communication, and quantitative research methods.
- Education: Ph.D., University of Maryland, 2010
A quantitative social scientist, her research focuses on persuasion mechanisms, particularly the interplay between emotion and cognition in information processing. She investigates maladaptive decision-making patterns, including bias, misinformation, and conspiratorial beliefs, developing communication strategies to counteract these issues. Her theoretical work integrates psychological reactance theory with terror management health models to analyze autonomy-limiting language in high-risk scenarios.
Her publications span top-tier journals like Human Communication Research, Communication Monographs, and interdisciplinary outlets such as Computers in Human Behavior and Risk Analysis. Recent studies address QAnon conspiracies, anti-vaccination misinformation, and texting-while-driving prevention strategies.
- Scientific Awards: Top Paper Awards (NCA Health Communication Division, Social Cognition Division), NCA Communication and Social Cognition Division Article of the Year (2019)
Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, Oklahoma Aerospace & Defense Innovation Institute, Data Institute for Societal Challenges, and United Nations Development Program (Uzbekistan Office). She previously chaired the NCA Communication and Social Cognition Division (2017-2018).
