Associate Professor in the Department of Advertising at Southern Methodist University. Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin (Advertising); M.A., B.A., California State University San Bernardino (Psychology and Marketing).

Dr. Edwards' work explores persuasive communication in new media environments. Edwards is currently examining forced exposure situations online and consumer avoidance of advertising. Other areas of interest include human perception and cognition in 3-D virtual environments, specifically related to e-commerce applications. As part of this research consumers' abilities to feel empathy and engage in role-taking online and in virtual environments are being examined, along with issues of trust building in new media environments.

Recent journal articles have examined the relationships of teens with the Internet and traditional media in the Journal of Advertising Research, the use of URL's in traditional media advertising in the Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, and the impact of computers on creativity in the Creativity Research Journal. Edwards' research has been supported by the Media Research Club of Chicago and the American Academy of Advertising.

Prior to work in academia, Dr. Edwards served as marketing research analyst for a major newspaper in Southern California. He is a member of the American Academy of Advertising, the Society for Consumer Psychology, and the Association for Consumer Research. He is currently serving as editor of the Communicator, the quarterly Newsletter of the Society for Consumer Psychology.

Dr. Edwards can be reached via e-mail at steve@msu.edu.

 

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