Alison Oliver studies media influence and brain plasticity in the context of social and psychological health. She is interested in relationships between media consumption, the sense of agency, and mental health, as well as the social impact of moral messaging in media.
Alison’s research interests are driven by the goal of better understanding how people perceive, interpret, and form beliefs about themselves, others, and their environment, and how media can affect these processes. Alison aims to make media neuroscience inclusive and accessible to media users and audiences of various backgrounds, such as adolescents and individuals with mental illnesses. She uses behavioral, psychophysiological, and computational methods to study moral cognition, media processing and effects, mental health and wellbeing, and human-technology interactions.
Alison's background in neuroscience and philosophy and her research at the Chapman University Brain Institute have contributed to her interdisciplinary approach to communication research. Alison studied neuroscience, philosophy, and theology at the University of San Diego and more recently received her M.S. in Health and Strategic Communication from Chapman University.
M.S. (2024), Chapman University, Health and Strategic Communication
B.A. (2020), University of San Diego, Behavioral Neuroscience