Contact Information
Biography
Dr. Elisabeth Bigsby is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Center for Social & Behavioral Science Affiliate. Dr. Bigsby studies persuasive health and environmental messages, such as anti-smoking campaigns, with a particular interest in how message features influence how people perceive and process those messages. Dr. Bigsby's overall goal is to understand why messages succeed or fail, and thus contribute to best practices in designing persuasive messages.
Research Interests
- Persuasion & Social Influence
- Message Effects
- Health Communication
- Information Acquisition
Education
Ph.D., Communication, University of Georgia
M.A., Health Communication, Michigan State University
B.A., Communication, Michigan State University
Awards and Honors
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign LAS Impact Award, Spring 2021
Illinois Foundations Fellow, Fall 2020
Courses Taught
CMN 345: Visual Media Effects
CMN 421: Persuasion Theory & Research
CMN 529: Message Design & Effects
CMN 529: Meta-Analysis in Communication
CMN 595: eHealth (HCOM)
Additional Campus Affiliations
Associate Professor, Communication
External Links
Recent Publications
Yan, J., & Bigsby, E. (2025). Explicating college students’ COVID-19 prevention behaviors: Integrating information seeking and response efficacy into the reasoned action approach. Journal of American College Health, 73(4), 1825-1836. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2025.2451978
Hovick, S. R., Rhodes, N., Bigsby, E., Thomas, S., & Freiberger, N. (2023). Exploring direct and indirect predictors of heart disease information seeking. Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 16(1), 21-29. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538068.2022.2076549
Bigsby, E., & Morrow, E. (2022). Health Messaging During a Pandemic: How Information Type and Individual Factors Influence Responses to COVID-19 Messages. American Behavioral Scientist. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642221132797
Bigsby, E., Hovick, S. R., Tan, N. Q. P., Thomas, S. N., & Wilson, S. R. (2022). Information Seeking and Risk Reduction Intentions in Response to Environmental Threat Messages: The Role of Message Processing. Risk Analysis, 42(10), 2160-2175. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13857
Bigsby, E., & AlbarracĂn, D. (2022). Self- and Response Efficacy Information in Fear Appeals: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Communication, 72(2), 241-263. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqab048