Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University

Wei Peng is an assistant professor in the Department of Telecommunications, Information Studies, and Media, Michigan State University. She received her Ph.D. in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California in 2006 and joined MSU since then. She is affiliated with the Games for Entertainment and Learning (GEL) lab and the Health and Risk Communication Center. Her primary research interest is to understand the persuasive impacts of interactive technologies, especially digital games. She is interested in using digital games for health promotion, health education, and social change. Her broader research area is the social and psychological influence of communication technology. She has studied the negative influence of violent video games, addictive MMORPGs, and advergames targeting at youth. She is currently working on a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supported project to develop and evaluate an exergame for young adults. Her previous research projects have been supported by the Annenberg Communications Critical Pathways Dissertation Fellowship and the MSU Family and Communities Together Coalition Grant. She has won several top paper awards from the International Communication Association and the National Communication Association. Her recent publications appear or are in press in Journal of Communication, Health Communication, Journal of Health Communication, Computers in Human Behavior, CyberPsychology & Behavior, and Educational Gerontology.

Peng, W. (2009). Design and evaluation of a computer game to promote a healthy diet for young adults. Health Communication, 24, 115-127.

Liu, M., & Peng, W. (2009). Cognitive and psychological predictors of the negative outcomes associated with playing MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games). Computers in Human Behavior, 25, 1306-1311.

Lee, K., Peng, W., & Park, N. (2009). Effects of Computer/Video Games, and Beyond. In J. Bryant, & M. B. Oliver (Eds.), Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research (pp. 551-566). New York: Routledge. 

Kim, J., LaRose, R., & Peng, W. (2009). Loneliness as the cause and the effect of problematic Internet use: The relationship between Internet use and psychological well-being. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 12, 451-455. 

Peng, W. (2008). The mediational role of identification in the relationship between experience mode and self-efficacy: Enactive role-playing versus passive observation. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11, 649-652.

Peng, W., Liu, M., & Mou, Y. (2008). Do aggressive people play violent computer games in a more aggressive way? Individual difference and idiosyncratic game playing experience. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 11, 157-161.

McLaughlin, M., Jung, Y., Peng, W., Jin, S., & Zhu, W. (2008). Touch in computer-mediated communication. In E. A. Konijn, S. Utz, M. A. Tanis, & S. B. Barnes (Eds.), Mediated Interpersonal Communication (pp. 158-176). New York: Routledge.  

Mou, Y., & Peng, W. (2008). Gender and racial stereotypes in popular video games. In R. Ferdig (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education (pp. 922-937). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. 

Peng, W., & Liu, M. (2008). An Overview of Using Electronic Games for Health Purposes. In R. Ferdig (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education (pp. 388-401). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Lee, K. M., & Peng, W. (2006). A brief biography of computer game studies. In Vorderer, P. & Bryant, J. (Eds.), Playing computer games: Motives, responses, and consequences (pp. 325-345). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Lee, K. M., Peng, W., Jin, S, & Yan, C. (2006). Can Robots Manifest Personality?: An Empirical Test of Personality Recognition, Social Responses, and Social Presence in Human-Robot Interaction. Journal of Communication, 56, 754-772.