Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal profile
Rong Ma is an assistant professor in the Department of Media and Communication. She uses quantitative social scientific methods to research persuasive health messaging and the role of social identities in health communication. Dr. Ma has published articles in top-tier communication journals such as the Journal of Communication, Communication Monographs, and the Journal of Health Communication.
Dr. Ma is currently accepting Ph.D. students.
Research interests
Areas of research: persuasion, health message design, social identity (threat), psychological reactance, intergroup communication
Methodology: experiment, survey, quantitative content analysis, structural equation modeling
Experience
Education:
Ph.D. in communication (2019), University of Maryland, College Park, USA
M.A. in communication (2016), University of Maryland, College Park, USA
B.A. in Spanish (2011), Shanghai International Studies University, China
Employment:
Assistant Professor (2020-2024), Butler University, USA
Research areas
- Health Communication
- Intergroup Communication
- Social Identity
- Quantitative Research Methods
Person Types
- Staff
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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Dive into the research topics where Rong Ma is active. These topic labels come from the works of this person. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
Projects
- 2 Active
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Reducing Prejudice Toward Older Adults: Simulated Intergroup Contact and Friendship with Role-Playing AI Chatbots
Ma, R. (PI)
1/07/26 → 30/06/29
Project: Internal Research Project
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Silver Stories: How Narratives About Older Adults Shape Public Perceptions on Social Media Platforms
19/10/24 → …
Project: Internal Research Project
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A Social Identity Extension to CASA: How GenAI Chatbots’ Attitudinal Congruence and Group Identity Impact User Empathy and Issue Support
Zhao, X. & Ma, R., 2026, In: International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction. 42, 15, p. 11782-11797 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
Defensive Reactions to Pictorial Warning Labels Featuring Narrative Versus Non-Narrative Content
Ma, Z., Ma, R., Haworth, J. & Hu, J., 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: Health Communication.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Sexual Identity-Related Shame as a Barrier to Mpox Prevention Among Gay and Bisexual Men
Lake, S., Zhao, X. & Ma, R., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Health Communication.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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The Role of Narratives in Countering Health Misinformation: A Scoping Review of the Literature
Ma, Z. & Ma, R., 2025, In: Health Communication. 40, 11, p. 2353-2364 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
6 Citations (Scopus) -
The role of sympathy in motivating behaviour change: a discrete emotions approach to examining responses to cancer warning labels for alcohol
Ma, Z., Wang, X. & Ma, R., 1 Dec 2025, In: Health Education Research. 40, 6, cyaf060.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus)
Activities
- 1 Organising an event e.g. a conference, workshop, …
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Navigating Cross-Cultural Communication in the Digital Age: Opportunities and Challenges
Zhang, X. (Organiser), Kuang, X. (Organiser), Adhikari, D. (Organiser), Herold, D. K. (Organiser), Huang, G. (Organiser), Pellitteri, M. (Organiser), Ma, R. (Organiser), Hu, H. (Organiser), Ji, D. (Organiser), Han, J. (Chair), Jiang, Y. (Chair), Gao, C. (Chair), Liu, L. (Chair), Zhang, H. (Chair), Milić, V. (Chair), Wang, Z. (Chair), Lin, Y. (Chair), Ong, S. W. (Chair), Wu, K. (Chair), Zhu, Z. (Chair), Wang, Q. (Chair), Zhu, Y. (Chair), Mu, H. (Chair), Liu, X. (Participant), Bilby, J. (Participant), Andriano-Moore, S. A. (Participant), Yang, L. (Participant), Lewis, A. (Participant), Zhang, J. (Participant), Wang, Q. (Participant), Liu, Z. (Participant), Prieler, M. (Participant), Chen, Y. (Participant), Liu, Y. (Participant), Van Mensel, L. (Chair), Tang, B. (Member of programme committee) & Ruan, Z. (Member of programme committee)
28 Mar 2025 → 29 Mar 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organising an event e.g. a conference, workshop, …