Dr. Aimee Miller-Ott

Associate Professor & Graduate Program Coordinator

School of Communication

Office

Fell Hall - FEL 408

Office Hours

Tuesdays and Thursdays 10-12 and by appointment

Office Phone

(309) 438-3277office
phone

aeott@ilstu.eduemail

About
Education
Awards & Honors
Research

Current Courses

325Theory And Research In Interpersonal Communication

331Human Communication & The Aging Process

299Independent Honor Study

499Independent Research For The Master's Thesis

498Professional Practice In Communication

474Seminar In Interpersonal Communication

Teaching Interests & Areas

Interpersonal communication Family communication Dark side of interpersonal communication Communication research methods

Research Interests & Areas

The communicative management of information and identity. I have studied this in a variety of contexts (e.g. post-divorce relationships; parent-child relationships; women’s decision-making about health; relational aggression), from a variety of theories (e.g. Communication Privacy Management Theory; Facework Theory; Relational Dialectics Theory), and conceptually via turning points, technology, social support, and communication rules.

Ph D Interpersonal and Family Communication/Instructional Communication

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

MA Interpersonal Communication

California State University

Fullerton

BS Speech Communication

Northern Arizona University

University Outstanding Teacher Award

Illinois State University

2019

College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award

2017

Jamie Comstock Award

School of Communication

2017

Humanities Center Faculty Fellow

“Seeking Love after Divorce” for “Love and Desire” Humanities Seminar

2013

Excellence in Teaching Award

National Society of Leadership and Success, University of Hartford

2012

Book, Authored

Houston, D., Gjesfjeld, C., Miller-Ott, C., Gholson, T., Schaeffer, L., & Brown, M. (2016). Higher Education as the Lifeline to Social Mobility for Former Foster Youth: A Comprehensive Needs and Assets Assessment. Normal, IL: Center for Child Welfare and Adoption Studies.

Book, Chapter

Miller-Ott, A. E. & Kelly, L. (2019). Connection or intrusion? Mother-daughter communication through technology. For M. Miller-Day & A. Alford (Eds.), Constructing Motherhood and Daughterhood Across the Lifespan. Peter Lang. doi:10.3726/b10841

Miller-Ott, A. E. (2019). “We talk like friends versus she’s just my mom:” Openness and closeness in the mother/married daughter relationship. For M. Miller-Day & A. Alford (Eds.), Constructing Motherhood and Daughterhood Across the Lifespan. Peter Lang. doi:10.3726/b10841

Miller-Ott, A.E. (2019). My mom has been gone for a while, but she’s still alive…” Communicating as a child of a parent with Alzheimer’s disease. In S. Symonds-LeBlanc (Ed.), Casing the family: Theoretical and applied approaches to understanding family communication. Kendall Hunt.

Journal Article

Kilgore, L. & Miller-Ott, A.E. (2019). I knew college was in the cards for me:" The role of memorable messages in foster youth's post-secondary education decisions. Ohio Communication Journal, 57, 19-32. Retrieved from https://ohiocomm.org/ohio-communication-journal/

Miller-Ott, A. E. (2019). Boundary management strategies reflecting the discourse-dependent nature of work-spouse relationships. Advanced online publication. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication. doi:10.1080/17459435.2019.1578820

Kelly, L., & Miller-Ott, A.E. (2018). Perceived miscommunication in friends’ and romantic partners’ texted conversations. Southern Communication Journal, 83, 267-280. doi: 10.1080/1041794X.2018.1488271

Miller-Ott, A. E. (2018). “Just a heads up, my father has Alzheimer’s:” Changes in communication and identity of adult children of parents with Alzheimer’s Disease. Health Communication. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2018.1547676

Kelly, L., Miller-Ott, A. E., & Duran, R. L. (2017). Sports scores & intimate moments: An expectancy violations theory approach to partner cell phone behaviors in adult romantic relationships. Western Journal of Communication, 81, 619-640. doi: 10.1080/10570314.2017.1299206

Miller-Ott, A. E. (2017). Developing and maintaining a foster family identity through foster parents’ identity work. Journal of Family Communication, 17(3), 208-222. doi: 10.1080/15267431.2017.1293061

Miller-Ott, A. E., & Kelly, L. (2017). A politeness theory analysis of cell phone usage in the presence of friends. Communication Studies, 68(2), 190-207. doi: 10.1080/10510974.2017.1299024

Duran, R. L., Miller-Ott, A. E., & Kelly, L. (2015). The role of mobile phones in romantic relationships. In Z. Yan (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mobile Phone Behavior (Volumes 1, 2, & 3). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-8239-9.ch028

Miller-Ott, A. E., & Kelly, L. (2015). The presence of cell phones in romantic partner face-to-face interactions: An expectancy violation theory approach. Southern Communication Journal, 80, 253-270. doi:10.1080/1041794X.2015.1055371

Miller-Ott, A. E., Kelly, L., & Duran, R. L. (2014). Cell phone usage expectations, closeness, and relationship satisfaction between parents and their college-aged children. Emerging Adulthood, 2, 1-11. doi: 10.1177/2167696814550195

Harrigan, M. M., & Miller-Ott, A. E. (2013). The multivocality of meaning making: An exploration of the discourses college aged daughters voice in talk about their mothers. Journal of Family Communication, 13, 1-18. doi: 10.1080/15267431.2013.768249

Miller-Ott, A. E. (2013). Factors that influence separated/divorced parents’ sharing of personal information. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 54, 282-294. doi: 10.1080/10502556.2013.780464

Miller-Ott, A. E., & *Linder, A. (2013). Romantic partners’ use of facework and humor to communicate about sex. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 14, 69-78. doi: 10.1080/17459435.2013.835344

Miller-Ott, A. E., & Kelly, L. (2013). Communication of female relational aggression in the college environment. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 14, 19-27. doi: 10.1080/17459435.2013.835338

Miller-Ott, A. E., & Kelly, L. (2013). Mean girls in college: An analysis of how college women communicatively construct and account for relational aggression. Women’s Studies in Communication, 36, 330-347. doi: 10.1080/07491409.2013.829792

Miller-Ott, A. E., Kelly, L., & Duran, R. L. (2012). The effects of cell phone usage rules on satisfaction in romantic relationships. Communication Quarterly, 60, 1-18. doi: 10.1080/01463373.2012.642263

Miller-Ott, A. E., & Durham, W. T. (2011). The role of social support in young women’s communication about the genital HPV vaccine. Women’s Studies in Communication, 34, 183-201. doi: 10.1080/07491409.2011.618239

Schrodt, P., Miller, A. E., & Braithwaite, D. O. (2011). Ex-spouses’ relational satisfaction as a function of coparental communication in stepfamilies. Communication Studies, 62 (3), 272-290. doi: 10.1080/10510974.2011.563453

Presentations

Gjesfjeld, C.D., Houston, D., Miller-Ott, A., & Gholson, T. (April 2017). Former foster youth in college: A needs and assets assessment. Roundtable session at American Educational Research Association – San Antonio, TX

Gjesfjeld, C., Houston, D., Miller-Ott, A., & Gholson, T. (2016). Former Foster Youth in College: A Needs and Assets Assessment. American Educational Research Association (AERA), Unit: Division J - Postsecondary Education; Section: Division J - Section 2b: College Student Success and Outcomes.

Grants & Contracts

Experiences of Biological Children in Foster Families. CAS URG. Illinois State University. (2018)

Dark Side of Cell Phones in Romantic Relationships. CAS URG. Illinois State University. (2016)

Voluntary Parents’ Fund Grant. University of Hartford. State. (2012)

Coffin Grant. University of Hartford. State. (2011)

Voluntary Parents’ Fund Grant. University of Hartford. State. (2011)