Psi Chi SWPA Distinguished Lecturer
Do Angry Birds Make for Angry Children? Re-examining Video Game Violence After Brown vs. EMA
Dr. Chris Ferguson
Texas A&M International University
Dr. Ferguson currently serves as department chair of psychology and communication at Texas A&M International University. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Central Florida and is licensed as a psychologist in Texas. He has published dozens of papers related to media and video game violence effects, as well as other media effects such as thin-ideal media and advertising effects. His work has largely challenged the view that media have pervasive and harmful effects on our behavior, although advertising and fictional media effects may differ. He is also interested in the sociology of media research and how political and social pressures distort the scientific process. He was invited to speak to Vice President Biden’s Gun Violence Task Force in early 2013 and has appeared on numerous media outlets ranging from NBC’s Nightline, CBS’s Face the Nation, to the BBC, Washington Post and USA Today. He writes occasional columns on psychology for Time.com and has published a novel, Suicide Kings. He lives in Laredo, Texas with his wife and young son.