I study the psychosocial antecedents of behaviour and behaviour change. Specifically, I am interested in the effects of social influences (e.g., media messages) and individual differences (e.g., transportability--the degree to which one is engaged by narratives) on implicit and explicit attitudes, norms, and self-concept. Outcomes of interest include health behaviours (e.g., smoking, drinking, safer sex), stereotyping and prejudice, and person perception.

Primary Interests:

Attitudes and Beliefs
Communication, Language
Health Psychology
Persuasion, Social Influence
Self and Identity

Attitudes and Beliefs
Communication, Language
Health Psychology

Persuasion, Social Influence
Self and Identity

Journal Articles:

Dal Cin, S., Gibson, B., Zanna, M. P., Shumate, R., & Fong, G. T. (2007). Smoking in movies, implicit associations of smoking with the self, and intentions to smoke. Psychological Science, 18, 559-563.
Dal Cin, S., MacDonald, T. K., Fong, G. T., Zanna, M. P., & Elton-Marshall, T. E. (2006). Remembering the message: The use of a reminder cue to increase condom use following a safer sex intervention. Health Psychology, 25, 438-443.
Dal Cin, S., Worth, K. A., Dalton, M. A., & Sargent, J. D. (2008). Youth exposure to alcohol use and brand appearances in popular contemporary movies. Addiction, 103, 1925-1932.
Dal Cin, S., Worth, K. A., Gerrard, M., Gibbons, F. X., & Sargent, J. D. (2009). Watching and drinking: Expectancies, prototypes, and friends’ alcohol use mediate the effect of exposure to alcohol use in movies on adolescent drinking. Health Psychology, 28, 473-483.
Dillard, A. J., Fagerlin, A., Dal Cin, S., Zikmund-Fisher, B. J., & Ubel, P. A. (2010). Narratives that address affective forecasting errors reduce perceived barriers to colorectal cancer screening. Social Science & Medicine, 71(1), 45-52.
Gibbons, F. X., Pomery, E. A., Gerrard, M., Sargent, J. D., Yeh, H., Wills, T. A., Dal Cin, S., Worth, K. A., & Stoolmiller, M. (in press). Media as social influence: Racial differences in the effects of media on adolescent alcohol cognitions and consumption. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
McClure, A. C., Dal Cin, S., Gibson, J. J., & Sargent, J. D. (2006). Ownership of alcohol branded merchandise and initiation of teen drinking. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 30, 277-83.
Sargent, J. D., Stoolmiller, M., Worth, K. A., Dal Cin, S., Wills, T. A., Gibbons, F. X., Gerrard, M., & Tanski, S. E. (2007). Exposure to smoking depictions in movies: Its association with established adolescent smoking. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 161, 849-856.
Tanski, S. E., Stoolmiller, M., Dal Cin, S., Worth, K. A., Gibson, J. J., & Sargent, J. D. (2009). Movie character smoking and adolescent smoking: Who matters more, good guys or bad guys? Pediatrics, 124, 135-143.
Wills, T. A., Sargent, J. D., Stoolmiller, M., Gibbons, F. X., Worth, K. A., & Dal Cin, S. (2007). Movie exposure to smoking cues and adolescent smoking onset: A test for mediation through peer affiliations. Health Psychology, 26, 769-776.
Worth, K. A., Dal Cin, S., & Sargent, J. D. (2006). Prevalence of smoking among major movie characters: 1996-2003. Tobacco Control, 15, 442-446.

Other Publications:

Dal Cin, S., Zanna, M. P., & Fong, G. T. (2004). Narrative persuasion and overcoming resistance. In E. S. Knowles & J. A. Linn (Eds.), Resistance and persuasion. Mawah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Courses Taught:

Health Communication and Health Behavior Change
Mass Media and Health Behavior
Mass Media and the Individual: Uses and Impact
Research Methods (Graduate)

Health Communication and Health Behavior Change
Mass Media and Health Behavior

Mass Media and the Individual: Uses and Impact
Research Methods (Graduate)

Sonya Dal Cin
Department of Communication Studies
University of Michigan
105 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285
United States

Phone: (734) 615-0380
Fax: (734) 764-3288