I’m delighted share that my PhD advisee, Dr. Jorge Cruz Ibarra, has successfully defended his dissertation and accepted a position as Lecturer in Communication at Stony Brook University.
Dr. Cruz Ibarra’s dissertation, Anger and Persuasion in Populist Political Communication: A Dual-Pathway Model, tackles a timely debate with a long history in communication research: does anger enhance or hinder the persuasiveness of populist messages? Through two experimental studies, he proposes a dual-pathway model that explains how anger can simultaneously motivate deeper engagement with messages while also triggering coping responses that reduce elaboration. His findings reveal that anger consistently boosts approach motivation, but its impact on persuasion varies depending on audience characteristics—especially political predispositions. This work offers a nuanced understanding of emotion-driven persuasion and opens new avenues for research in political communication.
Congratulations, Jorge!