Norman Wong

• COMM 3023 - Communication Research Methods 
  
• COMM 4153 - Nonverbal Communication 

Dr. Wong is an Associate Professor of Health Communication. His areas of research primarily look at the intersections between health communication, mass communication, and social influence. Specifically, his research is focused on looking at how people process and respond to different theoretically-derived message strategies for communicating health-related information within a variety of mass-mediated contexts (e.g., television, Internet, social media), and across a wide range of health topics such as HPV vaccinations, tobacco cessation, binge drinking, cancer prevention, and relationship violence.

Also, some of his recent works have examined the role entertainment media plays in shaping people’s beliefs and attitudes toward stigmatized health groups (e.g., those suffering a mental illness). Currently, he is working on developing and testing messages aimed at more effectively communicating the risks associated with e-cigarette products and reducing the onset of e-cigarette use (vaping) among young adult non-smokers.

He is recognized for his expertise related to public health campaign communication. Dr. Wong's work has been presented at both national and international communication conferences and has published in high impact peer-reviewed journals such as Communication Monographs, Health Communication, Journal of Health Communication, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Communication Studies, and Communication Quarterly. He is also serving on a number of editorial boards and often asked to serve as an ad-hoc reviewer for public health journals. Dr. Wong has received funding for his research from the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, and the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center.

Currently, he is working on developing and testing messages aimed at more effectively communicating the risks associated with e-cigarette products and reducing the onset of e-cigarette use (vaping) among young adult non-smokers. He is also working on projects looking at identifying factors that motivate information-seeking behaviors about COVID-19 virus transmission and prevention, and designing messages to increase people’s intentions to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it is made available for the public. 

Lookadoo, K. L., & Wong, N. C. H. (2020). Searching for a silver lining: Mediated intergroup contact and mental health perceptions. Studies in Media and Communication, 8(2), 1-13. doi:10.11114/smc.v8i2.xx.

Ma, H., Miller, C., & Wong, N. (2020). Don’t let the tornado get you!: The effects of agency assignment and self-construal on responses to tornado preparedness messages. Health Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1712038.

Lookadoo, K. L., & Wong, N. C. H. (2019). “Hey guys, check this out!”: Investigating media figure-user relationships and celebrity endorsements on Twitter. Journal of Social Media in Society, 8(1), 178-210.

Wong, N. C. H. (2019). Injunctive and descriptive norms and theory of planned behavior: Influencing intentions to use sunscreen. Women’s Health and Complications, 2(1), 1-7.

Wong, N. C. H. (2018). Well that was unexpected: Effect of intimacy and commitment on responses to an interpersonal expectancy violation. Studies in Media and Communication, 6(2), 45-56.

Wong, N. C. H., & Bostwick, E. (2017). #WhyITold: A pilot test of Twitter messages aimed at promoting bystander intervention against domestic violence. Studies in Media and Communication, 5(2), 166-175. doi: 10.11114/smc.v5i2.2763.

Wong, N. C. H., Lookadoo, K. L., & Nisbett, G. W. (2017). “I’m Demi and I have bipolar disorder”: Effect of parasocial contact on reducing stigma toward people with bipolar disorder. Communication Studies. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/10510974.2017.1331928.

Wong, N. C. H., Nisbett, G. S, & Harvell, L. A. (2016). Smoking is So Ew!: College smokers’reactions to health- vs. social-focused antismoking threat messages. Health Communication. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2016.1140264.

Wong, N. C. H. (2015). Vaccinations are safe and effective: Inoculating positive HPV vaccine attitudes against anti-vaccination attack messages. Communication Reports. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/08934215.2015.1083599.