Research interests

My research covers mass political behaviour and media. Within these areas I have concentrated most on the modern campaign in the United States, in particular how individuals respond to flows of information in campaigns in terms of the effects on their political attitudes, vote choice, and turnout, and the nature and effects of the local news media. More recently I have also started to look at elections in Britain, with a particular focus on perceptions of leaders and how they affect voting behaviour. Beyond issues surrounding American and British mass political behaviour and media I am also interested in areas of political psychology, including the nature and influence of emotions and the structure and impact of authoritarianism.

Online Appendix for "Issue Evolution in Britain: The Debate on EU Integration, 1964-2010"

Online Appendix for War and Elections

Modules taught

• POC1003 - British Government and Politics
• POC2005 - American Politics

Biography

I am a Professor of Politics at the Cornwall campus. My research interests are in political communication and political behaviour. I was awarded my PhD in 2002 from the University of Minnesota, where I was examined in US politics and in research methods. I also took a minor in political psychology. I wrote my dissertation on the psychological impact of negative political advertising on the American public, which won the prize for the best dissertation in the social and behavioral sciences at the University of Minnesota. After a year as a postdoc at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I began my first job at the University of Miami in Florida. In 2005 I moved to Hartwick College in upstate New York, before joining the University of Exeter's Penryn campus in 2007.