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Northwestern School of Communication

Nathan Walter

(he/him/his)
Associate Professor
Nathan Walter research concerns the power of strategic storytelling, correction of misinformation, and the role of emotion and affect in social influence. Studying the contexts of health, politics, and science, his research interests boil down to one simple question: how to augment the influence of “good information” and attenuate the influence of “bad information?”

Department

Communication Studies

Area(s) of Expertise

Emotion and Affect, Entertainment Education, Media psychology, Misinformation and Fake News

Affiliated Center(s)

The Center of Media Psychology and Social Influence (COM-PSI)
Nathan Walter

Nathan Walter (Ph.D. University of Southern California) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. He is Founder and Co-Director of the Center of Media Psychology and Social Influence (COM-PSI). Walter’s research concerns the power of strategic storytelling, correction of misinformation, and the role of emotion and affect in social influence. His studies have been published in a number of leading outlets, including the Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Human Communication Research, and Communication Monographs. His most recent work, which is supported by the NIH/FDA, the Peterson Foundation, the Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research, and the Delaney Foundation, focuses on novel methods to debunk misinformation and change behavior. Walter's overarching research agenda revolves around the development of multilevel and ecological models that provide a nuanced approach to the study of communication-related phenomena.

Education

  • PhD, Communication, University of Southern California
  • MA, Communication, University of Haifa, Israel
  • BA, Dual degrees in Communication and English, University of Haifa, Israel

Recent Publications

  • Walter, N., Cohen, J., Nabi, R. L., & Saucier, C. J. (2022). Making it real: The role of parasocial relationships in enhancing perceived susceptibility and COVID-19 protective behavior. Media Psychology, 1-18.
  • Saucier, C. J., Suresh, S., Brooks, J. J., Walter, N., Plant, A., & Montoya, J. A. (2022). The effect of an entertainment-education intervention on reproductive health of young women of color. Health Communication, 37(9), 1093-1103.
  • Walter, N., & Salovich, N. A. (2021). Unchecked vs. uncheckable: How opinion-based claims can impede corrections of misinformation. Mass Communication and Society, 24(4), 500-526.
  • Walter, N., Demetriades, S. Z., & Nabi, R. L. (2021). Seeing red through rose-colored glasses: Subjective hope as a moderator of the persuasive influence of anger. Journal of Communication, 71(1), 79-103.
  • Walter, N., Brooks, J. J., Saucier, C. J., & Suresh, S. (2021). Evaluating the impact of attempts to correct health misinformation on social media: A meta-analysis. Health Communication, 36(13), 1776-1784.

Courses

  • Communication & Misinformation
  • Media Effects
  • The Power of Strategic Storytelling
  • Designing Communication Inquiry
  • Changing Health Behavior