Beyond fear appeals: Contradicting positive smoking outcome expectancies to influence smokers' implicit attitudes, perception, and behavior

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 548-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Glock ◽  
Dagmar Unz ◽  
Carrie Kovacs
Keyword(s):  
Implicit Attitudes ◽  
Outcome Expectancies ◽  
Fear Appeals ◽  
And Behavior

Applying Persuasion Strategies to Alter HIV-Relevant Thoughts and Behavior

2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loraine Devos-Comby ◽  
Peter Salovey
Keyword(s):  
Message Framing ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Fear Appeals ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Media Campaigns ◽  
The Core ◽  
Message Source ◽  
Message Effects ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Prevention Of Hiv

Health communication strategies are at the core of both mass media campaigns and public health interventions conducted at the community level concerning the prevention of HIV/AIDS. They are often nested in complex contexts that prevent us from being able to identify the persuasive impact of a specific message. The authors attempt to account for an array of factors contributing to the persuasiveness of messages about HIV. The aim is to synthesize the psychological literature on persuasion and thus provide a conceptual framework for understanding message effects in HIV communications. This discussion concerns fear appeals, message framing, tailoring, cultural targeting, and additional factors pertaining to the message, source, and channel of the communication. Whenever possible, recommendations for further research are formulated.

Fear Appeals in Climate Change Communication

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph P. Reser ◽  
Graham L. Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Social Influence ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Evaluation Research ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Fear Appeals ◽  
Climate Change Communication ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
And Behavior

There is a strong view among climate change researchers and communicators that the persuasive tactic of arousing fear in order to promote precautionary motivation and behavior is neither effective nor appropriate in the context of climate change communication and engagement. Yet the modest research evidence that exists with respect to the use of fear appeals in communicating climate change does not offer adequate empirical evidence—either for or against the efficacy of fear appeals in this context—nor would such evidence adequately address the issue of the appropriateness of fear appeals in climate change communication. Extensive research literatures addressing preparedness, prevention, and behavior change in the areas of public health, marketing, and risk communication generally nonetheless provide consistent empirical support for the qualified effectiveness of fear appeals in persuasive social influence communications and campaigns. It is also noteworthy that the language of climate change communication is typically that of “communication and engagement,” with little explicit reference to targeted social influence or behavior change, although this is clearly implied. Hence underlying and intertwined issues here are those of cogent arguments versus largely absent evidence, and effectiveness as distinct from appropriateness. These matters are enmeshed within the broader contours of the contested political, social, and environmental, issues status of climate change, which jostle for attention in a 24/7 media landscape of disturbing and frightening communications concerning the reality, nature, progression, and implications of global climate change. All of this is clearly a challenge for evaluation research attempting to examine the nature and effectiveness of fear appeals in the context of climate change communication, and for determining the appropriateness of designed fear appeals in climate change communications intended to both engage and influence individuals, communities, and “publics” with respect to the ongoing threat and risks of climate change. There is an urgent need to clearly and effectively communicate the full nature and implications of climate change, in the face of this profound risk and rapidly unfolding reality. All such communications are, inherently, frightening warning messages, quite apart from any intentional fear appeals. How then should we put these arguments, evidence, and challenges “on the table” in our considerations and recommendations for enhancing climate change communication—and addressing the daunting and existential implications of climate change?

The Impact of Vulnerability to and Severity of a Health Risk on Processing and Acceptance of Fear-Arousing Communications: A Meta-Analysis

2007 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 258-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natascha de Hoog ◽  
Wolfgang Stroebe ◽  
John B. F. de Wit
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Fear Appeals ◽  
Fear Appeal ◽  
Stage Model ◽  
Defensive Processing ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

This meta-analysis of studies of the persuasive impact of fear appeals evaluated the contribution of our stage model of the processing of fear-arousing communications relative to other fear appeal theories. In contrast to other theories, our stage model (a) specifies the cognitive processes underlying persuasion through fear-arousing communications, (b) proposes that threat-induced defensive processing does not interfere with the effectiveness of fear-arousing communications but actually contributes to it, and (c) predicts that vulnerability and severity manipulations have differential effects on measures of attitude as compared with intention and behavior. To evaluate these predictions, the authors expanded on previous meta-analyses by assessing the independent as well as joint effects of vulnerability to and severity of a risk, both on information processing and on measures of persuasion (attitude, intention, behavior). Overall, findings were consistent with the stage model. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Smoking, Implicit Attitudes, and Context-Sensitivity

2015 ◽  
pp. 138-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Glock ◽  
Ineke M. Pit ten-Cate
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Implicit Attitudes ◽  
Context Sensitivity ◽  
Outcome Expectancies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Addictive Behaviors ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
External Cues ◽  
Nicotine Deprivation ◽  
Attitudes Toward Smoking

This chapter focuses on implicit attitudes toward smoking and provides the first systematic review of research in this domain. Implicit attitudes are suggested to guide automatic behavior, thereby playing a pivotal role for automatic processes inherent in addictive behaviors. This chapter further explores the extent to which implicit attitudes are context-sensitive. More specifically, it reviews studies that have focused on the differential effects of external cues such as warning labels and internal cues (e.g., deprivation). Results of 32 studies show that although smokers generally have more positive implicit attitudes than non-smokers, the valence of implicit attitudes varies as a result of the applied method or stimuli. Studies reveal that implicit attitudes toward smoking partly depend on external cues, especially outcome expectancies. Similarly, internal cues affect implicit attitudes whereby the level of nicotine deprivation seems vital. Implications for intervention and future research are indicated in the discussion.

The Habit Stance

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Brownstein
Keyword(s):  
Attitude Change ◽  
Implicit Attitudes ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Implicit Attitude ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior ◽  
As If

While it is clear that implicit attitudes are malleable, there is much to learn about the most effective techniques for changing them. This chapter examines three general approaches that increasingly appear to be well supported in both lab-based and field studies. The chapter considers the importance of rote practice, pre-commitment, and context regulation. Each represents a different element of adopting the “habit stance,” a way of cultivating more ethical implicit attitudes—and hence better spontaneous decisions and actions—by treating them as if they were habits. The chapter concludes by considering two kinds of objections. The first is empirical, focusing on the broadness and durability of implicit attitude change interventions. The second is not empirical. It is about the nature of praise, in particular whether the reshaping of one’s attitudes and behavior in the ways the chapter describes counts as a genuine form of ethical self-improvement.

scholarly journals Predictors of Pharmacy Students’ Intentions to Monitor Diabetes

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M Guirguis ◽  
Betty A Chewning ◽  
Mara A Kieser
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Positive Outcome ◽  
Outcome Expectancies ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
Efficacy Outcome ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact

PURPOSE: This research explores predictors of pharmacy students’ adoption of one specific behavior, monitoring diabetes ABCs (A1c, blood pressure, and cholesterol) in the community pharmacy. Specifically, this research assessed which student situation and attitudinal factors are predictors of students’ intentions and behavior in asking patients about the diabetes targets and goals as per a conceptual model. METHODS: Data was drawn from a randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of the diabetes check in pharmacy students during their community pharmacy clerkships. A survey measured students’ self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, role beliefs, mattering as well as students’ experiences with the Diabetes Check and intentions to routinely monitor diabetes. Stepwise hierarchical multiple linear regression reflected the conceptual model and was used to assess the research questions. RESULTS: Survey response rate was 94% and analysis was performed on a sample of 118 students. In summary, pharmacy students’ intentions and monitoring behaviors were predicted by the students’ situation and attitudes. Specifically, students’ intentions to ask patients about the diabetes ABCs were predicted by pharmacy site counseling, monitoring role beliefs, self-efficacy, and positive outcome expectancies (F(7, 109)=21.39, p

scholarly journals Exploring the Relationship Between Physical Activity Knowledge, Health Outcomes Expectancies, and Behavior

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 404-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie M. Heinrich ◽  
Jay Maddock ◽  
Adrian Bauman
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Outcome ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Outcome Expectancies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Moderate Physical Activity ◽  
Actual Behavior ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Relationship

Background:Despite clear health benefits of physical activity, previous research has been limited in linking knowledge of physical activity recommendations to actual behavior.Methods:Using Expectancy Theory, we examined whether an individual’s health outcome expectancies from physical activity might provide the missing link between knowledge and behavior. With data from a cross-sectional survey, we assessed differences between how much moderate physical activity people thought they needed for health benefits compared with what they thought experts recommended and the relationship of these differences to physical activity behaviors.Results:Our hypothesis that people with positive health outcome expectancies would report more minutes of physical activity than those with neutral or negative health outcome expectancies was supported for all self-reported physical activity behaviors (P < .001).Conclusions:It appears that the health outcome expectancy of needing more physical activity than recommended by experts is correlated with achieving more physical activity, regardless of type. Future research should address health outcome expectancies as a way to impact physical activity.

Fear Arousal and Health and Risk Messaging

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Gall Myrick ◽  
Robin L. Nabi
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Change ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Fear Appeals ◽  
Fear Appeal ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mixed Emotions ◽  
Cognitive Correlates ◽  
Social Sharing ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Inherent Part

Fear is a negatively valenced discrete emotional state that is an inherent part of the human experience. With strong evolutionary roots, fear serves important functions, including alerting people to present threats and motivating action to avoid future threats. As such, fear is an emotion that frequently attracts the attention of scholars and message designers who hope to persuade audiences to change their behavior in light of potential threats to well-being and public safety. Several theories have aimed to describe the effects of fear-based appeals on audiences, focusing largely on the cognitive correlates of fear (i.e., severity and susceptibility) and their subsequent impacts on persuasive outcomes. However, more recent theorizing has returned to a focus on the influence that the emotion of fear itself has on attitude and behavior change. Given that many health-oriented fear appeals have been shown to evoke multiple emotions, including anger, disgust, and sadness, current theorizing has taken a mixed-emotions or emotional flow perspective to provide a deeper understanding of fear appeal effects. Further, individual differences have been considered to determine who is most likely to experience fear during and after message consumption. In addition to fear appeals that purposefully aim to scare audiences to motivate attitude and behavior change, recent work suggests that fear can be generated by other forms of messages (e.g., news accounts, social media posts, interpersonal conversations) that may influence receivers’ approaches to health issues. Moreover, research also suggests that fear may motivate social sharing of messages, which can in turn allow for more widespread influence of fear-based messages.

Smoking, Implicit Attitudes, and Context-Sensitivity

2019 ◽  
pp. 82-105
Author(s):  
Sabine Glock ◽  
Ineke M. Pit ten-Cate
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Implicit Attitudes ◽  
Context Sensitivity ◽  
Outcome Expectancies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Addictive Behaviors ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
External Cues ◽  
Nicotine Deprivation ◽  
Attitudes Toward Smoking

This chapter focuses on implicit attitudes toward smoking and provides the first systematic review of research in this domain. Implicit attitudes are suggested to guide automatic behavior, thereby playing a pivotal role for automatic processes inherent in addictive behaviors. This chapter further explores the extent to which implicit attitudes are context-sensitive. More specifically, it reviews studies that have focused on the differential effects of external cues such as warning labels and internal cues (e.g., deprivation). Results of 32 studies show that although smokers generally have more positive implicit attitudes than non-smokers, the valence of implicit attitudes varies as a result of the applied method or stimuli. Studies reveal that implicit attitudes toward smoking partly depend on external cues, especially outcome expectancies. Similarly, internal cues affect implicit attitudes whereby the level of nicotine deprivation seems vital. Implications for intervention and future research are indicated in the discussion.

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