- Professor, Director of Office of Innovation in General Education
- Communication Studies
- Phone: 401.874.9072
- Email: dicioccio@uri.edu
- Office Location: Carothers Library, Rm 270B
Biography
Dr. DiCioccio is the Director of the Office of Innovation in General Education. Her research utilizes a social psychological perspective to examine interactive aggression processes. Specifically, her research interests include teasing, humor communication, and family argument processes. Currently, she is focused on studying humor communication, how and why people use teasing communication in their relationships, and examining family communication and the argument process during crisis decision-making.
DiCioccio’s research has been published in various academic outlets including: The Journal of Communication, Communication Reports, Human Communication, and The Review of Communication. She edited the book, Humor Communication: Theory, Impact, and Outcomes and has published numerous book chapters on the topic of humor.
Dr. DiCioccio enjoys teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in conflict management, family communication, humor communication, nonverbal communication, personality theory, and communication pedagogy. She was the 2009 recipient of the College of Arts & Sciences Teaching Excellence Award.
Research
Examining interactive aggression processes using a social psychological perspective; specifically teasing, humor communication, and family argument processes
Education
- Ph.D., Interpersonal Communication, Kent State University, 2001
- M.A., Communication Studies, Michigan State University, 1994
- B.A., Art History, University Of Rhode Island, 1992
Selected Publications
DiCioccio, R. L. (2015). We could sure use a laugh: Building hope and resilience through humor communication. In T. Socha & G. A. Beck (Eds.), Communicating hope and resilience across the lifespan. New York, NY: Peter Lang International.
DiCioccio, R. L. & Miczo, N. (2014). Intercultural Humor. In S. Attardo (Ed.), The encyclopedia humor studies. (pp. 387-388). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
DiCioccio, R. L. (2013). Make me laugh–Make me Listen: Using humor to accomplish interpersonal influence. In C. J. Liberman (Ed.), Casing persuasive communication (pp.51-65).Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.
DiCioccio, R. L. (Ed.). (2012). Humor communication: Theory, impact, and outcomes. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.
DiCioccio, R. L. (2012). Humor as aggressive communication. In R. L. DiCioccio (Ed.), Humor communication: Theory, impact, and outcomes (pp. 93- 108). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.
DiCioccio, R. L. (2011). Converting immediacy to the online classroom: A course in family communication. In K. M. Torrens & J. S. Amador (Eds.), Taking your course online: An interdisciplinary journey (pp. 53-65). New York: Information Age Publishing.
DiCioccio, R. L. (2010). The interactionist model of teasing communication. In T. A. Avtgis & A. S. Rancer (Eds.), Arguments, aggression, and conflicts: New directions in theory and research (pp. 340-355). New York: Routledge.
Ketrow, S. M. & DiCioccio, R. L. (2010) Family argument: A model of family communication in Conference (pp.241-249). Washington, DC: National Communication Association.