سینتیا وینی
Psychology Expert
Education
Ph.D., Psychology, Fielding Graduate University
M.A., Psychology, Fielding Graduate University
B.A., Film Studies, Cornell University
Introduction
Psychology writer and scholar specializing in media psychology
Research Fellow, Institute for Social Innovation
Co-author of Finding Truth in Fiction: The Benefits of Getting Lost in a Story
Experience
Dr. Vinney is a scholar and writer who focuses on topics in psychology and popular culture. Her research focuses on how audiences understand, engage with, and respond to popular media. She has published two books and numerous academic articles in peer-reviewed journals, including Psychology of Popular Media Culture and Social and Personality Psychology Compass. Her latest book, Finding Truth in Fiction, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press.
Education
Dr. Vinney earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in psychology with an emphasis in media psychology from Fielding Graduate University. Her dissertation investigated how the strength of an individual’s personal identity as a fan impacts one’s meaningful cognitive and affective responses to a favorite television show. She received her B.A. in film studies from Cornell University.
Publications
Finding Truth in Fiction: The Benefits of Getting Lost in a Story (2020, Oxford University Press)
Mad Men Unzipped: Fans on Sex, Love, and the Sixties on TV (2015, University of Iowa Press)
Development and Validation of a Measure of Popular Media Fan Identity and Its Relationship to Well-Being (in press, Psychology of Popular Media Culture)
Fan Fiction as a Vehicle for Meaning Making: Eudaimonic Appreciation, Hedonic Enjoyment, and Other Perspectives on Fan Engagement with Television (2018, Psychology of Popular Media Culture)
That Sounds Familiar: The Relationship Between Listeners’ Recognition of Celebrity Voices, Perceptions of Vocal Pleasantness, and Engagement with Media (2017, Journal of Radio and Audio Media)
Connecting the Dots Between Fantasy and Reality: The Social Psychology of Our Engagement with Fictional Narrative and Its Functional Value (2016, Social and Personality Psychology Compass)
Mad Men Fans Speak Via Social Media: What Fan Voices Reveal About the Social Construction of Reality Via Dramatic Fiction (2015, Journal of Fandom Studies)
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