User:ReaganLarkin/sandbox/Riva Tukachinsky

Dr. Riva Tukachinsky is a communication scholar, who focuses on the effects media plays in our well being. From Israel to the United States, Dr. Tukachinsky continues to teach and research the many ways media is implicated in the daily lives of consumers. Today, she is an associated professor at Chapman University in Orange, California. Riva Tukachinsky has published over thirty articles that have been featured in numerous journals and encyclopedias, this does not include the numerous projects she has assisted or mentored. Not only is she a scholar in the communication field, but is also skilled in psychology earning a minor and a focus in it as well. Dr. Tukachinsky categorizes herself as a researcher and teacher. One of her biggest accomplishments was creating a research class that is taught bilingual (Spanish/English.) She is known to advocate for minorities as well as racial and ethnic stereotypes.

Background
Dr. Riva Tukachinsky is an associate professor at Chapman University in the School of Communication. She studies media psychology, which focuses on how individuals comprehend and are influenced by the media. Her interests in research also includes the cognitive and emotional processes underlying media. She is interested in the involvement of characters and information processing on the effects of media and the psychological well being and health. Before her time at Chapman University, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree at Max Stern Academic of Emek Yezreel, and then her Master's degree at Haifa University in Israel, and finally received her Ph.D. in Communication with a minor in psychology with emphasis on social psychology and psychophysiology at the University of Arizona. In 2014, she offered to teach an English/Spanish media literacy program. Her expertise is in the following: Media Effects, Media Psychology, Media Literacy, Content Analysis, and Racial Stereotypes. Dr. Riva Tukachinsky has also taught Introduction to Human Communication, Mass Media Effects, Mass Communication Theory, Academic Writing Skills, and was a teaching assistant for both Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods, Visual Research Methods, Media Technology, and Social Psychology.

Research
Dr. Riva Tukachinsky's research asks the questions, what leads to the experience and consequences of media involvement. Her example: While watching a movie, a person may experience an emotional connection to that character or personae as if they were apart of their lives. A few of her research projects:

When actors dont walk the talk- Characters we like on television can influence our beliefs and attitudes

Celebrity crush explained- Having a crush on a celebrity, but why does this happen?

'''How do romantic couples argue in popular television shows?- Dr. Tukachinsky mentored a student on why couples argue on the big screen. What are the lessons that are learned? Who usually starts the argument?'''

How does media representation of ethnic minorities impact both Whites' and minority group members'?- Dr. Tukachinsky assisted on this project to depict if minorities had equal screen time apart from white people.

All of these projects incorporate teaching in a classroom setting. At Chapman University, Dr. Tukachinsky teaches several research classes that are in the realm of mass communication theory, education-entertainment, and more. She combines teaching and research by being a mentor to students working on their own research projects. On one of her research studies called celebrity crush explained, Dr. Tukachinsky tries to find out why parasocial relationships occur, and if it is healthy for your well being. For the most part, the research she conducts has to do with parasocial interactions. In 2018 an article she published called Theorizing the development of parasocial engagement, proposes a theoretical model of development of parasocial relationships (PSR's) building on Knapp's Model of relationships. It was found that PSR's are a dynamic process rather than a monolithic. In other words, according to Tukachinsky, the more you engage with that character the more intense the feeling will get.

Awards and recognition
Despite being a new communication scholar, Dr. Riva Tukachinsky has been given a few awards and have been recognized in her faculty for her outstanding accomplishments. In 2015, the National Communication Association in the Mass Communication Division awarded Tukachinsky with the Top Paper Award. While at Chapman University, she got promoted to be an associate professor and was awarded Tenure in 2019. Not too long afterwards the same year, she was awarded the Unity Faculty Excellence Award, which recognizes the excellence in teaching, creative/scholarly activity, service, or a combination of the ones listed.

Articles and Publications
The following are articles Dr. Riva Tukachinsky has published:

Sex, likes and Instagram: Celebrity self-presentation on Instagram images: The media effects created by celebrities

Meta-analysis of anger and persuasion: An integration of three models.

A meta-analytic examination of the continued influence of misinformation in the face of correction: How powerful is it, why does it happen, and how to stop it?

The psychology of marathon television viewing: Antecedents and viewer involvement

Parasocial romantic relationships, romantic beliefs, and relationship outcomes in U.S. adolescents: Rehearsing love or setting oneself up to fail?

Involvement with media content.

Effects of media representations of ethnic minorities on Black and Latino viewers’ self- and majority-group perceptions

Narrative persuasion 2.0: Transportation in participatory websites

The Effect of Relational and Interactive Aspects of Parasocial Experiences on Attitudes and Message Resistance

When actors don’t walk the talk: Parasocial relationships moderate the effect of actor-character incongruence

Special Issues on the topic of: Media representations of race and ethnicity: Implications for identity, intergroup relations, and public policy.

Parasocial relationships. In M. S. Eastin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of media violence

Experimental manipulation of psychological involvement with media. Methods and Measures in Communication

The effects of engagement with entertainment

Cultivation of perceptions of marginalized communities

Exemplar versus prototype-based processing of media content and the influence on racial/ethnic evaluations

Para-romantic love and para-friendships: Development and assessment of a multiple-parasocial relationships scale

Is a picture worth a thousand words: The effects of race-related visual versus verbal race-related exemplars on attitudes and support for social policies

Many of her publications and articles have been featured in the Journal of Communication, American Journal of Media Psychology, International Journal of Public Opinion Research and several professional encyclopedias. she not only published articles, but she was an author of "Media Representations of Race and Ethnicity: Implications for Identity,Intergroup Relations, and Public Policy.