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
Bigsby, E. (2026). Applied sampling for quantitative communication science research. In L. Shen (Ed.), Fundamental Issues, Measurement, and Study Design (pp. 255-282). (Handbooks of Communication Science). de Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111087139-012
Guntzviller, L. M., & Bigsby, E. (2026). The Role of Perceived Facework and Freedom Threat in Health Recommendation Responses: Integrating Reactance and Advice Evaluation Pathways. Health communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2026.2672673
Ryu, J. Y., Hovick, S. R., & Bigsby, E. (2026). Understanding Drivers and Effects of Real-Time Information Seeking on Meningitis Knowledge and Attitudes. Health communication, 41(7), 1219-1230. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2025.2558075
Yan, J., Guntzviller, L. M., & Bigsby, E. (2026). The influence of recommendation source on psychological reactance: a study among Black, Latino, and White participants. Communication Monographs. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2026.2687654
Bigsby, E., & Chung, M. (2025). Exemplification theory. In A Multi-Perspective Approach to Narratives in Health Communication (pp. 185-213). Bloomsbury Publishing. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781978748859.ch-009