Department Research

UB's Department of Communication is devoted to the scientific study of communication phenomena.  Our major areas of research include social influence, health communication, new communication technology, and the analysis of social networks.  In addition, the Department conducts research in the traditional areas of interpersonal, organizational, mass, and international/intercultural communication. 

Our major domains of grant activity are in the areas of deception detection, health communication, and Internet research.  Our approach to communication science is decidedly quantitative, and our methods include multivariate statistics, mathematical modeling, computer simulation, and both experimental and survey research, among other techniques.  We consider communication as a science, and we distinguish ourselves from programs whose primary emphasis is the art, rhetoric, or practice of communication.