Doris E. Acheme, (Ph.D., University of Oklahoma) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Georgia. Her research interest is in intergroup and intercultural communication. Specifically, she focuses on the role identity plays in psycho-social responses of individuals during interactions, with two main areas of focus. The first area of research is in language attitudes, with emphasis on (a) documenting the stigma attached to speaking with non-U.S. American accents, (b) explaining the mechanisms underlying language attitudes and their effects on intergroup communicative outcomes, with the goal of (c) changing negative language attitudes and improving intergroup relations. Dr. Acheme’s second area of research is in racial identity processes, with a focus on how African immigrants to the U.S. (re)categorize themselves as minority group members and negotiate their identities as Blacks, upon arrival to the U.S. The goal of this second line of research is to challenge the boundaries of what constitutes group membership. Dr. Acheme’s research has been published in major communication journals including, Communication Research, Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, Journal of Language and Social Psychology, Communication Reports, and Journal of Communication and Media Research.
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Ph.D., University of Oklahoma
M.A., Cleveland State University
B.A., University of Abuja
Research
- Intergroup and Intercultural Communication Outcomes
- Psycho-social Responses and Social Identities
- Language Ideologies and Attitudes
- Racial Identity Negotiation
Selected Publications
Acheme, D. E., Anderson C., & Miller, C. (2024). The effects of language features and accents on the arousal of psychological reactance and communication outcomes. Communication Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/00936502241229883
Acheme, D. E, & Cionea I. A. (2024). “All they see is Black”: The experience and negotiation of racial identity for Nigerians in the United States. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17513057.2024.2323981
Acheme, D. E. & Biwa V. (2023). Graduate teaching assistants’ challenges, conflicts, and strategies for navigating COVID-19. Frontiers in Communication, 8(1266394), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1266394
Acheme, D. E., Montgomery, G. & Cionea I. A. (2023). Racializing accents: The effects of the impact of language and racial cues on intergroup communicative outcomes. Communication Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/00936502231215211
Montgomery, G. & Acheme, D. E. (2022). Processing fluency and inferred motive: L1 English users’ evaluations of non-standard accented speech". Journal of Language and Social Psychology. 1-18 https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X221081010
Acheme, D. E. (2021). Stereotyped communication: The ascribed identities of Nigerians living in the U.S. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 1-19 https://doi.org/10.1080/17513057.2021.1974924
Acheme, D. E., & Cionea I. A. (2021). Protest structures: Responses from Nigerians in the United States to police brutality and #BlackLivesMatter protests. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 41(1) 29-48 https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X211049473