Luke Hartvigsen

I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. I originally had aspirations of pursuing a film career. However, that did not work out and I found myself returning to school to become a psychological researcher and professor. My interest in media research stems from my love of film and the arts. I am starting off my career here at William and Mary and I look forward to teaching the students here! 

In the classroom, I emphasize developing skills better suited to tackling the challenges we face in the present day. These include critical thinking, self-efficacy, systematic problem solving, genuine curiosity, and moral character.  

I want to investigate if media interventions could be used to reduce partisan antipathy. My dissertation found that contextomy (quoting someone out of context) increases one's expression of verbal aggression toward political opponents. Conversely, long-format discussions decrease verbal aggression. There are clear implications for this research to improve political communication and reduce polarization.