My chief research interests are persuasion, deception, and prejudice in interpersonal communication. In particular, I study the important role of language in all of these processes. My students and I have studied how the strategic use of linguistic devices like metaphor, euphemism, and agency assignment influence people’s choices about privacy, diet, health care, seeking employment, making new friends, and dealing with ethical dilemmas. My research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, the Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas, the Kozmetsky Family Foundation, and the Merck Investigator Studies Program.