Haoran Chris Chu, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Public Relations assistant professor, and colleagues have recently published research on deepfake resurrection narratives, vaccine communication and risk efficacy.

Chu and University of Michigan Assistant Professor Hang Lu were the authors of “Let the Dead Talk: How Deepfake Resurrection Narratives Influence Audience Response in Prosocial Contexts” published in Computers in Human Behavior, August 2023.

Their research project delved into the psychological effects of “deepfake resurrection” narratives, especially in social contexts like drunk driving and domestic violence. Results indicate audience reactions were significantly influenced by perceived realism, compassion and surprise. They found that AI’s role in content creation and understanding the psychological impacts of AI-produced narratives became crucial, especially when they touch on socially sensitive issues.

In addition, Chu and University of Pennsylvania postdoctoral fellow Sixiao Liu collaborated on three studies focused on vaccine hesitancy and willingness as well as a framework for accessing risk efficacy. Insights from these studies can help tailor health communication to address specific concerns of different communities.

The results of the first study, “Psychological Distance, Construal Level, and Vaccine Hesitancy for COVID-19, HPV, and Monkeypox Vaccines” published in Science Communication, Volume 45, Issue 3,uncovered how psychological factors, like distance and perception, influence parental hesitancy towards vaccines.

In the second, “Parents’ COVID-19, HPV, Monkeypox Vaccination Intention: A Multilevel Structural Equation Model of Risk, Benefit, Barrier, and Efficacy Perceptions and Individual Characteristics” published in Patient Education and Counseling, September 2023, the authors explored parents’ willingness to vaccinate their children against three diseases, noting higher inclinations for HPV due to perceived benefits and hesitancy towards monkeypox due to safety concerns.

In the third study, “Risk-Efficacy Framework – A New Perspective on Threat and Efficacy Appraisal and the Role of Disparity” published in Current Psychology on May 31, Chu and Liu proposed a framework to understand threat and efficacy appraisal, taking into consideration disparities in resource accessibility. The authors results showcased the dynamic nature of risks and their perceived severity.

Posted: September 1, 2023
Category: AI at CJC News, College News, Covid-19 Updates, Research News
Tagged as: Covid-19, Deepfake Narratives, Haoran "Chris" Chu, Risk Efficacy, Vaccine Communication