Dr. Rachel L. Bailey is the James E. Kirk Professor of Communication at Florida State University. Her research examines human interactions with and via media and is rooted in biological and evolutionary perspectives including embodied, situated cognition and motivated cognition. She commonly uses this lens to investigate how media are influential in important social and health contexts, such as health perceptions, food choice, substance use, and vicarious trauma of mediated violence.
Dr. Bailey's research is especially relevant in the fields of media psychology, health communication, and media processes and effects. Her work is published in leading journals in the field including Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Communication Monographs, Human Communication Research, Health Communication and Journal of Health Communication. She also has published in interdisciplinary journals including Appetite, Journal of Nutrition Education & Behavior, Cognition & Emotion, Motivation & Emotion, and Criminal Justice & Behavior. She recently co-edited the The DeGruyter Handbook of Media Psychology, a comprehensive look at the field and its current directions.
Prior to joining the academy, Dr. Bailey worked in the advertising research industry at a small biometric research firm exclusively contracted to Disney Media Networks. She was part of a team of researchers investigating the efficacy of various ad models and production packages for Disney media assets such as ESPN, ABC, Good Morning America and others.
Dr. Bailey directs the Communication Research Center, a research unit in the College of Communication and Information dedicated to advancing knowledge about the influences of communication and media. Its mission is to foster innovative, interdisciplinary research that addresses pressing social challenges, while also providing opportunities for students and faculty to collaborate on projects that translate theory into practice. By integrating rigorous scholarship, mentorship, and community engagement, the Center seeks to generate insights that inform public policy, improve health and wellness, and enhance the quality of human interaction across diverse contexts.
Dr. Bailey founded and directs the Interactions in Communication Contexts Lab at FSU, which is a state-of-the-art lab equipped with wireless psychophysiological data collection modules (i.e., electrocardiogram, electrodermal activity, electromyography, etc.), head-mounted and screen-based eyetracking devices, and behavioral coding equipment and software. Dr. Bailey often has been contracted to consult on lab and equipment builds and perform training workshops around the world using these methodologies.
Dr. Bailey is an associate editor of the Journal of Media Psychology, and currently serves on multiple editorial boards, including Health Communication and Media Psychology. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the International Communication Association and Chair of Information Systems, one of the oldest Divisions of the International Communication Association.
Education
Ph.D., Communication with a minor in Cognitive Science, Indiana University, 2014
M.A., Strategic Communication, University of Missouri- Columbia
B.A. Psychology, University of Missouri- Columbia
B.J. Strategic Communication, University of Missouri- Columbia
Research Interests
media psychology, health communication, motivated mediated extended cognition
Teaching Interests
Graduate: Communication Theory, Media Processes & Effects, Media Psychology, Psychophysiological and Experimental Methods Undergraduate: Advertising Strategy, Media and Account Planning