Faculty Type: Faculty

David Clementson was identified as one of the Top 25 most prolific researchers published in communication journals in the five-year period from 2017 to 2021. The finding appeared in the […]

David E. Clementson & Beatty, M. J. (in press). “Society frowns upon spinning and so do the alleged spin doctors: Tests of present and future crisis communicators responding to spin […]

David E. Clementson & Xie, T. (Grady ADPR Ph.D. grad). (2022). “Are presidential candidates impervious to deception detection? A test of voters’ truth-default.” Presidential Studies Quarterly, 52(4), 728–747. http://doi.org/10.1111/psq.12809 Abstract: […]

David E. Clementson, COVID Impact Research Recovery Funding grant from the UGA Office of Research/Academic Affairs/Provost, for a proposal to experimentally test “Impact of (In)Civility in Messaging Through Political Debates.” […]

David Clementson gave a talk entitled “The Science of Winning Media Interviews” as part of a June 7, 2022, training session held by Maven Strategies, a Democratic political consulting firm […]

David E. Clementson, (in press). “Approaching the public relations profession with ease and ethical expertise: A class project to encourage, equip, and empower students entering the internship market.” Communication Teacher. […]

Abstract: Public relations and strategic communication are offered in communication departments with a field of study largely geared toward professional communicators. The majors place a heavy emphasis on internships which […]

Masterclass virtual – Escuela de Comunicación, Universidad Panamericana, Campus Guadalajara (Zapopan, Jalisco), México – Sept. 20, 2021

Abstract: This paper combines theories of identification and image repair to explain why an organization in crisis should avoid designing messages that engage in “spin.” An experiment is reported (N = […]

Abstract:  Perceptions of a crisis communicator’s sincerity drive reactions to an organization’s response amidst a scandal. However, a spokesperson can nonverbally appear sincere while deceptively evading questions and can appear […]

Abstract: U.S. presidential candidates aspire to have a “presidential image.” Political communication researchers, media pundits, political scientists, pollsters, campaign consultants, and other political marketers speculate about who is “presidential” and […]

Abstract: Crisis communication scholars have suggested that sincerity is critical to an effective crisis response, and a robust body of research suggests that certain mannerisms and communication styles can make […]

Abstract: Mass communication research has long indicated that during a scandal an organization’s spokesperson should exude sincerity. However, no research has examined the deceptive and misleading nature of sincerity. In […]

Abstract: U.S. presidential candidates aspire to be perceived as “presidential.” Political communication researchers, political scientists, pollsters, campaign consultants, and media pundits speculate about who is “presidential” and “unpresidential.” No prior […]

Abstract: Journalists serve as deception detectors for voters. Sometimes politicians refute journalists’ assertions. How do voters discern whom to believe? Based on cognitive sequences posited by truth-default theory (TDT), experiments […]

David Clementson has won the Reviewer of the Year award for the journal Mass Communication and Society. The editor said, “This year we worked hard to identify one winner on […]

Clementson, D. E., & Xie, T. (2021, May 27-31). The power of political journalists as deception detectors and how politicians reactivate voters’ truth-default [Paper presentation]. International Communication Association 71st Annual […]

Abstract: The public considers politicians to be deceptive. Empirical research, however, indicates voters fail to notice deception from politicians in practice. An experiment was run in which U.S. voters (n […]

Abstract: Truth-default theory (TDT) holds that people tend to passively believe others without consciously considering whether they are being told the truth. But do voters have a truth-default toward politicians? […]

Abstract: Journalists serve as deception detectors for voters. Sometimes politicians refute journalists’ assertions. How do voters discern whom to believe? Based on cognitive sequences posited by truth-default theory (TDT), experiments […]

Abstract: This article expands situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) to narrative persuasion. In a randomized experiment featuring a news interview of a scandalized company, an organization’s spokesperson responds to a […]

Abstract: This paper reports a test and extension of the model posited by the theory of crisis response narratives, in which the public manifests identification with a spokesperson who tells […]

Abstract: This article applies interpersonal deception theory (IDT) to crisis communication. As strategic communicators, spokespeople representing organizations in crisis often evade questions in media interviews. Upper management and legal counsel […]

Every two years the International Association of Language and Social Psychology selects a Top Paper Award. This year the award was given to David Clementson for  “Truth Bias and Partisan […]

Clementson, D. E., & Xie, T. (Grady PhD student) (2020, Nov.). Effects of partisan bias on perceptions of evasion in a political news interview. Paper to be presented at the 106th […]

Clementson, D. E., & Xie, T. (Grady PhD student) (2020, Nov.). Narrative storytelling and anger in crisis communication. Paper to be presented at the 106th National Communication Association conference, Public […]

Clementson, D. E. (2020, Nov.). Narrative persuasion, identification, attitudes, and trustworthiness in crisis communication. Paper to be presented at the 106th National Communication Association conference, Public Relations division, Indianapolis, IN. […]

David Clementson was awarded a $9,800 grant from UGA Office of Research’s “Faculty Seed Grants in the Sciences” for my proposal entitled “Deceptive Evasion in Politics: Addressing a Divide in […]

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to test the effects of narratives in crisis communication. This research assesses how organizations benefit from using stories in their media responses, relative […]

David Clementson received a Top Paper Award for “Let Me Tell You Our Side of the Story: Narrative Immersion in a Crisis Communication Media Interview.” Paper to be presented at […]

David Clementson was one of three people nationally to receive a seed grant from the Glen M. Broom Center at San Diego State for his study investigating the effectiveness of […]

David Clementson received a $500 grant from the Glen M. Broom Center for Professional Development in Public Relations, at San Diego State University to test narrative persuasion strategies and crisis […]

Abstract: Journalists often accuse politicians of dodging questions. Truth-default theory (TDT) predicts that when journalists serve as de facto deception detectors, the audience will process the messaging through a cognitive […]

Abstract: People are often exposed to polarized viewpoints in web comment sections. Inspired by attribution theory and framing theory, this article tests the effects of comments that frame a politician […]

Abstract: Upwards of 200 studies over the past hundred years have reported on the relationship between public relations practitioners and journalists. However, no experiment has compared the group members’ perceptions […]

Alex Pfeuffer, Haley Hatfield (Ph.D. student), & Jooyoung Kim. “Will Brands Make it if They Fake it? Exploring the Effects of CGI Influencer Disclosures in Sponsored Social Media Posts.” Paper […]

J. Pfiffelmann & Alexander Pfeuffer.(Forthcoming). Understanding Personalized Recruitment Ads’ Effectiveness: The Role of Personalization Type and Message Involvement. Journal of Interactive Advertising. Abstract: In response to the challenge of replacing retiring […]

Abstract: Brand Studios have become ubiquitous in news outlets across the United States. Situated in news organizations with the attention of audiences that brands hope to reach, these in-house creative studios […]

Alex Pfeuffer, assistant professor of advertising, and Joe Phua, associate professor of advertising, were awarded a AAA Research Fellowship Award for a 3-year research project studying vlogs and trust cues […]

Panel proposal accepted for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) annual conference, August 2022. Panelists: Alexander Pfeuffer, Ava Sirrah, Columbia University (PhD candidate).

A multi-method study (Study 1: Focus groups; Study 2: Survey; Study 3: Online experiment) will examine user-generated COVID-19 vaccine information in social media-based vlogs to (1) identify eWOM content attributes […]

Abstract:  Getting to Yes is a collaboration with The Tri-County Rural Health Network, UMAS, GSU, and UGA. The overall goal of this work will be to understand the drivers of the […]

Abstract: Trust is a significant factor in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) effects. Consumers often need to form judgments about others using heuristic cues when they cannot rely on previous cumulative experiences with […]

Abstract: Online, consumers often cannot develop trust through cumulative experiences with another party but must instead rely on heuristic cues for their trust formation. Drawing on the theoretical construct of […]

Abstract: Forest certification has emerged as a market-based tool to safeguard the sustainability of the world’s forests. Since media can shape public opinion, this study examines media treatment of forest […]

Abstract: Trust is a significant factor in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) effects. Online, consumers often need to form judgments about others using heuristic cues when they cannot rely on previous cumulative […]

Abstract: Facing the rising trend of sponsored product reviews posted on social media, government regulatory agencies have published industry guidelines requiring disclosure of sponsorship in social media product reviews. However, […]

Abstract: Addressing the problem of increasing sponsored eWOM and diverse and confusing disclosure practices, this study examined the effects of different types of sponsorship disclosure messages on (1) consumers’ trust […]

Abstract: Addressing the problem of increasing and diversifying sponsored eWOM on social media, this study examined the effects of different types of sponsorship arrangements and disclosure messages, with focus on […]