James Bonus

James Bonus is an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University in the School of Communication. His work explores childhood media experiences and the cognitive obstacles that impede learning from socioemotional and science-themed media, such as developing story schema and inaccurate reality judgments. He also investigates the effects of nostalgic media on adult audiences, focusing on temporal comparisons between past and present selves and their implications for psychological well-being.

Education:

• PhD in Communication Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
• MA in Communication Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
• BA in Sociology and Journalism from Flagler College

James Bonus’s research bridges media psychology and developmental communication, with a dual focus on children’s educational media challenges and adults’ nostalgia-driven experiences. His work addresses how media shapes STEM engagement, language acquisition, and family dynamics, emphasizing interactive and temporal dimensions.

Publication Trends: His 2025–2022 work spans educational television, YouTube, and nostalgic entertainment, analyzing their roles in science learning, parent-child interactions, humor mechanisms, and temporal identity. Themes include media literacy, psychological well-being, and developmental communication, often integrating machine learning and bio-sensing methodologies.