Shira Dvir Gvirsman

My research and teaching interests include psychological media effects; media selection and media use, with focus on selective exposure; public opinion, and political behavior; social networks; quantitative research methodology and statistics. In my work I combine surveys, experiments, and web-tracking tools, in a quest for an answer to the question are people rational?

In particular, my publications include journal articles on biases in perceptions of public opinion; psychological biases that engender extreme views; what factors drive news selection online; how homophily and media use influence polarization, intolerance, and participation; and how media shape political attitudes among children and affect their well-being. My work has appeared in  Public Opinion Quarterly, Communication Research, Political Psychology, New Media & Society, and others. I teach courses focusing on research methods and statistics, on media effects and public opinion