Dr. Tilo Hartmann

Office days: Monday - Friday

information in Dutch

Tilo Hartmann is currently an Assistant Professor at the VU University Amsterdam. He studied Communication Science and obtained his PhD in 2005 at the University of Music, Drama and Media Hanover. He has worked at the Annenberg School for Communication at University of Southern California Los Angeles, and communication departments at the University of Erfurt, and University of Zurich. His research focuses on the psychology of media use (selective exposure, experience, effects), with a specific focus on (a) video games and (b) parasocial interaction. He has published in major scientific journals of the field (e.g., Journal of Communication, Media Psychology, Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, Computers in Human Behavior), and several books, including "Media Choice: A theoretical and empirical overview." Tilo Hartmann is member of the editorial boards of “Journal of Communication” and “Media Psychology”, has worked as a vice-hair of ECREA's audience and reception studies division, and is elected secretary of ICA's game studies interest group.

Current lines of research

• Users’ video game experience (see related running research project: Moral Implications of Games Group [MIGG])
• Media choice
• Co-audience perceptions and presumed influence
• Parasocial interactions and relationships

 Communication in times of an outbreak" (EU FP7 project “Ecom@eu”, domain “health”).
This research activity is based on a successful EU grant proposal (together with Enny Das and Wouter van Atteveldt, project leader: Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, total research project budget €2,000,000, duration: 4 years). The project will examine effective intervention methods in times of an outbreak (like H1N1). Because public opinion plays a crucial role in that context, the VU team will examine - among other topics – the public debate about the H1N1 outbreak and related vaccination efforts in the mass media. More info is available under www.ecomeu.info. 

Current teaching

• Psychology of Media Use (Winter semester, MA) [Link to study guide]
• Media Entertainment (Spring semester, BA / PMC) [Link to study guide]

Publications:

journal articles

• Oliver, M.B., Hartmann, T., & Woolley ,J. (in press). Elevation in Response to Entertainment Portrayals of Moral Virtue. Paper accepted for publication in Human Communication Research.
• Hartmann, T., Jung, Y., & Vorderer, P. (in press). What’s determining video game use? The impact of users’ habits, addictive tendencies, and intentions to play. Article accepted for publication in Journal of Media Psychology
• Das, E., Vonkeman, C., & Hartmann, T. (in press). Mood as a resource in dealing with health recommendations: How mood affects information processing and acceptance of quit-smoking messages. Paper accepted for publication in Psychology and Health.
• Hartmann, T., & Goldhoorn, C. (2011). Horton and Wohl revisited: Exploring viewers’ experience of parasocialinteraction. Journal of Communication, 61, 1104-1121. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2011.01595.x  [Link to previous version of publication]
• Baumgartner, S. E. & Hartmann, T. (2011). The role of health anxiety in online health information search. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14(10), 613-618, Doi:10.1089/cyber.2010.0425. 
• Hartmann, T. (2011). Not so moral moral responses to media entertainment? Journal of Media Psychology, 23(1), 24-28.  
• Hartmann, T., Toz, E., & Brandon, M. (2010). Just a game? Unjustified virtual violence produces guilt in empathetic players. Media Psychology, 14(1), 339 - 363.
• Oliver, M. B. & Hartmann, T. (2010). Exploring the role of meaningful experiences in users’ appreciation of “good movies”. Projections, 4(2), 128-150.
• Hartmann, T. & Vorderer, P. (2010). It’s okay to shoot a character. Moral disengagement in violent video games. Journal of Communication, 60, 94-119. [Link to previous version of publication] [Link to publication]
• Schramm, H. & Hartmann, T. (2008). The PSI-Process Scales. A new measure to assess the intensity and breadth of parasocial processes. Communications - The European Journal of Communication Research, 33, 385-401. [Link to publication]
• Sacau, A., Laarni, J., & Hartmann, T. (2008). Influence of individual factors on presence. Computers in Human Behavior, 24, 2255 – 2273. [Link to publication]
• Hartmann, T., Stuke, D., & Daschmann, G. (2008). Parasocial relationships with drivers affect suspense in racing sport spectators. Journal of Media Psychology, 20(1), 24 - 34. [Free fulltext available here]
• Klimmt, C., Hartmann, T., & Frey, A. (2007). Effectance and control as determinants of video game enjoyment. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 10(6), 845 - 847. [Link to publication]
• Wirth, W., Hartmann, T., Boecking, S., Vorderer, P., Klimmt, P., Schramm, H., Saari, T., Laarni, J., Ravaja, N., Gouveia, F. R., Biocca, F., Gouveia, L. B., Rebeiro, N., Sacau, A., Jäncke, L., Baumgartner T., & Jäncke, P. (2007). A Process Model of the Formation of Spatial Presence Experiences. Media Psychology, 9, 493-525. [Link to publication]
• Hartmann, T. & Klimmt, C. (2006). Gender and Computer Games: Exploring Females' Dislikes. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(4), article 2. Available: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue4/hartmann.html (July 2006).
  
  

Books

• Hartmann, T. (2010). Parasoziale Interaktionen und Beziehungen [Parasocial interactions and relationships]. Baden-Baden: Nomos. [Link to publisher]
• Hartmann, T. (Ed). (2009). Media Choice: A theoretical and empirical overview. New York: Routledge. [Link to reseller]
• Hartmann, T. (2006). Die Auswahl unterhaltsamer Medienangebote am Beispiel von Computerspielen: Struktur und Ursachen [Selective exposure to entertainment media].Köln:von Halem. Link to reseller

Book Chapters

• Hartmann, T. (in press). Moral disengagement during exposure to media violence. In R. Tamborini (Ed.). Media and the Moral Mind.
• Hartmann, T. (2011). Players’ experiential and rational processing of virtual violence. In S. Malliet & K. Poels (Eds.), Vice City Virtue. Moral Issues in Digital Game Play (pp. 135-150). Leuven: Acco.
• Hartmann, T. (in press). Media entertainment as a result of recreation and psychological growth. In E. Scharrer (Eds.), Media Effects/Media Psychology. Blackwell Publishing.
• Hartmann, T. (2011). Is virtual violence a morally problematic behaviour? In K. Cornelius & D. Herrmann (Eds.), Virtual worlds and criminality (pp. 31-44). Heidelberg: Springer.
• Hartmann, T., Klimmt, C., & Vorderer, P. (2010). Telepresence and entertainment. In C. Bracken & P. Skalski (Eds.), Immersed in media. Telepresence in everyday life (pp. 137-157). New York: Routledge. [Link to reseller]
• Vorderer, P. & Hartmann, T. (2009). Entertainment as media effect. In J. Bryant & M.B. Oliver (eds.), Media Effects (3rd edition, pp. 532 - 550). New York: Routledge. [Link to reseller]
• Hartmann, T. (2008). Parasocial Interactions and New Media Characters. In E. A. Konijn, S. Utz, M. Tanis, & S. Barnes (Eds.). Mediated Interpersonal Communication (pp. 177-199). Mahwah, NJ.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [Link to reseller]

Publicationlist (PDF)

Other academic activities

• Editorial activities: Editorial board member Journal of Communication (since 2007), Human Communication Research (since 2011), Media Psychology (since 2007), Co-editor of book series „Unterhaltungsforschung“ (Entertainment research; Von-Halem Verlag, Cologne) (since 2006) and “Rezeptionsforschung” (Media effects research, Nomos Verlag, Baden-Baden) (since 2011)  
• Engagement in associations: Vice-chair of the “Audience and Reception Studies Division” of the German Communication Association DGPuK (2011-2013), Secretary of ICA's Games Studies Interest Group (2009-2011), Vice-chair of the “Audience and Reception Studies Division” of the European Communication Research and Education Association, ECREA (2006 – 2008)
• Reviewing activities for international journals including Media Psychology, Cyber Psychology & Behavior, Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, Communication,Culture,and Critique, Communication Theory, Journal of Personality, and Aggressive Behaviour.
• Memberships: International Communication Association (ICA), European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), Dutch Communication Association (NESCOR), German Communication Association (DGPuK), German Psychology Association (DGPs), Society for the Study of Motivation
• Various interviews and contributions to formats in popular German mass media outlets (including: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, die Zeit, Spiegel Online, der Standard, Stern online, GEO, Spiegel-TV, C’T, HR Info, RTL2)