Nathan Walter

About

Nathan Walter (he/him/his) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. He is also the Founder and Co-Director of the Center of Media Psychology and Social Influence (COM-PSI). His research concerns the power of strategic storytelling, correction of misinformation, and the role of emotion and affect in social influence. Walter's studies have been published in leading outlets such as the Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Human Communication Research, and Communication Monographs. His recent work, supported by organizations including NIH/FDA, the Peterson Foundation, the Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research, and the Delaney Foundation, focuses on novel methods to debunk misinformation and change behavior. His overarching research agenda revolves around developing multilevel and ecological models to provide a nuanced understanding of communication-related phenomena.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Medicine
• Computer Security
• Social psychology
• Computer Science
• Political Science
• Nursing
• World Wide Web
• Internet privacy
• Psychiatry

Selected publications

• Evaluating the Impact of Attempts to Correct Health Misinformation on Social Media: A Meta-Analysis

  Health Communication · 2020 · 366 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  =.0005) and a publication bias could not be excluded. Interventions were more effective in cases where participants were involved with the health topic, as well as when misinformation was distributed by news organizations (vs. peers) and debunked by experts (vs. non-experts). The findings of this meta-analysis can be used not only to depict the current state of the literature but also to prescribe specific recommendations to better address the proliferation of health misinformation on social med…

  DOI

• Antecedents and Effects of Parasocial Relationships: A Meta-Analysis

  Journal of Communication · 2020 · 176 citations

  Abstract The current meta-analysis synthesizes four decades of research (k = 120) on the antecedents and effects of parasocial relationships (PSRs). In line with contemporary theorization of PSRs as an extension of, rather than as a substitution for social relationships, the meta-analysis does not find a significant relationship between social deficiencies and PSRs. PSRs are also strongly correlated with factors that facilitate interpersonal bonds (e.g., homophily), other forms of involvement (e…

  DOI

• Interventions to Mitigate COVID-19 Misinformation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  Journal of Health Communication · 2021 · 86 citations

  = .065, k = 16]. We found evidence of publication bias. Interventions were more effective in cases where participants were involved with the topic, and where text-only mitigation was used. The limited focus on non-U.S. studies and marginalized populations is concerning given the greater COVID-19 mortality burden on vulnerable communities globally. The findings of this meta-analysis describe the current state of the literature and prescribe specific recommendations to better address the prolifera…

  DOI

• Coping with COVID-19 stress: The role of media consumption in emotion- and problem-focused coping.

  Psychology of Popular Media · 2022 · 46 citations

  PublisherDOI

• Words that trigger: a meta-analysis of threatening language, reactance, and persuasion in health

  Journal of Communication · 2025-02-13 · 9 citations

  articleSenior author

  Abstract Psychological reactance theory is an important theoretical framework that explains resistance to persuasive messages. However, research has shown inconsistencies regarding the effects of reactance on persuasion, the operational treatment of reactance, and the manipulation of threatening language. This meta-analysis (k = 35, combined N = 10,658) consolidates findings from research on psychological reactance in health communication regarding the associations between freedom-threatening la…

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Sheila T. Murphy

  19 shared

• Stefanie Z. Demetriades

  DePaul University

  14 shared

• John J. Brooks

  12 shared

• Camille J. Saucier

  Clemson University

  11 shared

• Robin L. Nabi

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  10 shared

• Lauren B. Frank

  Indiana University Health

  7 shared

• Sapna Suresh

  7 shared

• Lourdes Báezconde‐Garbanati

  Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute

  6 shared

Similar researchers at Northwestern University

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• Bruce L. Lamberth-35
• Michelle Shumateh-32