Dr. Sonya Dal Cin

Biography

Sonya Dal Cin is a Professor in the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Michigan and serves as an Associate Dean for Academic Programs Initiatives at the Rackham Graduate School. She has a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Waterloo and a B.A. (Hons.) from Queen's University in Canada. Her primary research interests focus on how everyday media experiences affect thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Dal Cin's work examines processes of story-based belief change, the role identification with characters plays, and the impact stories have on behavior. She is particularly interested in individual differences and developmental stages that influence how media affects health behaviors and stereotypes. Her research integrates insights from social-cognitive media influence with principles from communication science and social psychology. Dal Cin has presented her research at both national and international conferences and published in several prestigious academic journals such as the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and Health Communication. She encourages prospective graduate students interested in her work to note that pre-application discussions are not permitted to maintain fairness in the admissions process. Graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to contact her to join her research group, MaPiEL Lab.

Research Interests