Our research program examines the intersection of health communication, media psychology, and public health, with a focus on developing and optimizing messages designed to reduce substance use and improve health outcomes.
Our federally funded research and preliminary studies for future grant applications use survey and experimental approaches to understand how people process, respond to, and engage with health messages across media environments. Projects incorporate both self-report and psychophysiological measures to provide a more comprehensive understanding of message effects.
Across projects, we conduct experimental studies using iMotions and MediaLab software and collect a combination of self-report and biometric data, including eye tracking, heart rate, skin conductance, and facial electromyography (fEMG). These methods allow us to examine not only what participants report about health messages, but also how they attend to, engage with, and physiologically respond to those messages, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes underlying effective health communication.
Featured Research Project
Recruiting Doctoral Student — Fall 2027 to Spring 2031
Project Title: Optimizing Social Media Messages Targeting Young Adult Women About the Risks of Breast Cancer from Alcohol Consumption
This $3.1 million, five-year NIH/National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded R01 project examines how social media messages can be designed and optimized to effectively communicate the risks of breast cancer associated with alcohol consumption among young adult women. The project is a collaboration among researchers at Florida State University, The Ohio State University, and UMass Chan Medical School.
The project integrates health communication, media psychology, experimental research, and psychophysiological measurement to identify message features that capture attention, influence responses to health information, and ultimately improve the effectiveness of public health communication.
The project includes a national longitudinal study examining responses to different social media messages about alcohol-related breast cancer risk. Subsequent laboratory research at the FSU Cognition and Emotion Lab will combine self-report assessments with psychophysiological measures, including eye tracking, heart rate, and skin conductance, to examine participants’ cognitive and emotional responses to health messages.
Doctoral Student Opportunity
I am currently recruiting one doctoral student beginning Fall 2027 to work closely with this R01 project. The selected student will receive funding and will be embedded in the research team throughout the five-year project, gaining hands-on experience across multiple stages of the research process.
This position is particularly well suited for a student who wants to develop expertise in health communication, media psychology, experimental research, quantitative methods, and psychophysiological measurement.
The doctoral student will have opportunities to contribute to:
- Year 1: Assist with the longitudinal survey component of Aim 1, including study programming, data collection, data management, statistical analysis, manuscript writing, conference presentations, and publication.
- Years 2–4: Assist with laboratory-based studies examining participants’ psychophysiological responses to social media health messages, including programming experimental studies and collecting eye-tracking, heart rate, skin conductance, and other biometric data.
- Year 5: Contribute to data extraction, statistical analysis, interpretation of findings, manuscript writing, conference presentations, and publication.
- Throughout the project: Develop extensive research skills while working closely with the research team on questions at the intersection of health communication, media psychology, and public health.
Who I Am Looking For
I am particularly interested in doctoral applicants who:
- Have a strong interest in conducting health communication and media psychology research.
- Have completed coursework or have experience in quantitative research methods, statistical analysis, health communication, and media effects.
- Have storng interest in experimental research and understanding how people process, attend to, and respond to health messages.
- Have experience with biometric data collection or laboratory research. Prior experience is highly preferred but not required; training will be provided.
- Have strong desire to work collaboratively as part of a research team and to publish research and present findings (travel is funded) at academic conferences.
How to Apply
If you are interested in this doctoral research assistantship opportunity, please apply to the FSU School of Communication Ph.D. program. The application deadline for Fall 2027 admission is December 15, 2026.
Learn more about the FSU School of Communication doctoral program
Read the FSU News story about the project
If you have questions about the doctoral program, please contact the Doctoral Program Director, Dr. Rachel Bailey. If you have questions specifically about this research position or the R01 project, please contact me directly at rclayton@fsu.edu
Other Research Projects and Opportunities
In addition to the R01 project, students have opportunities to work on several ongoing experimental research projects examining how youth and college-aged students process and respond to tobacco advertisements, e-cigarette advertisements, oral nicotine pouch influencer videos, and anti-oral nicotine pouch videos.
I am currently recruiting undergraduate and graduate students to join the research team through course credit or volunteer research opportunities. Students working on these projects gain hands-on experience with study programming, experimental research, participant data collection, psychophysiological measurement, data analysis, and manuscript preparation.
Several of these projects have recently resulted in publications, while others are ongoing and are generating preliminary data for subsequent research grant proposals. Examples of recent and ongoing research include:
- Clayton, R. B., Park, J. (d), Simon, S. (m), Shuvo, M. S. (d), Weinberg, J. (u), Mays, D., & Stevens, E. M. (2026). Investigating psychophysiological and self-report responses to anti-oral nicotine pouch social media videos. Health Psychology, 45(4), 402–412.
- Clayton, R. B., Park, J. (d), Mays, D., & Stevens, E. M. (2026). An investigation of young adults’ psychophysiological and self-report responses to paid partnership disclosures in pro-oral nicotine pouch videos.American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 70(4), 108196.
- Stevens, E. M., Lee, D. N., Kim, S., Clayton, R. B., Oduguwa, K., Leshner, G., … & Wagener, T. L. (2026). Young adults’ responses to e-cigarette advertisements: An examination for potential regulation. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 70(4), 108188.
- Clayton, R. B., Compton, J., Reynolds-Tylus, T., Neumann, D., & Park, J. (d). (2023). Revisiting the effects of an inoculation treatment on psychological reactance: A conceptual replication and extension with self-report and psychophysiological measures. Human Communication Research, 49(1), 104–111.
- Clayton, R. B. (2022). On the psychophysiological and defensive nature of psychological reactance theory. Journal of Communication, 72(4), 461–475.
If you are interested in volunteer or course-creundergraduate or graduate research opportunities on these projects, please contact me at rclayton@fsu.edu