Motivated Information Management and Other Approaches to Information Seeking

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walid A. Afifi
Keyword(s):  
Information Management ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Subjective Norms ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Risk Perception Attitude Framework ◽  
Empirical Tests

The turn of the 21st century has seen an explosion of frameworks that account for individuals’ decisions to seek or avoid information related to health risks. The four dominant frameworks are Risk Perception Attitude Framework, the Risk Information Seeking and Process model, the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model, and the Theory of Motivated Information Management. A comparison of the constructs within each and an examination of the related empirical tests reveal important insights into (a) factors that have consistently been shown to shape these decisions across these approaches and (b) constructs in need of additional theorizing and empirical testing. Specifically, the analysis suggests that uncertainty, efficacy, affect, risk perceptions, and subjective norms all play crucial roles in accounting for decisions to seek or avoid risk-related information. However, inconsistencies in the direction of influence for uncertainty or information discrepancy, risk perceptions, and negative affect argue for the need for considerably more theoretical clarity and empirical rigor in investigations of the ways in which these experiences shape decision making in these contexts.

How beliefs about weight malleability and risk perceptions for obesity influence parents’ information seeking and feeding

2021 ◽  
pp. 135910532110614
Author(s):  
Charlotte J Hagerman ◽  
Rebecca A Ferrer ◽  
Susan Persky
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Genetic Information ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Implicit Theories ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Junk Food ◽  
Obesity Risk ◽  
Child Feeding

This study surveyed 185 parents to determine whether their perceived risk of their child developing obesity and their implicit theories about the malleability of weight independently and/or interactively predict their child-feeding and pursuit of child-related obesity risk information. Higher risk perceptions were associated with healthier feeding intentions and more information seeking. More incremental (malleable) beliefs predicted healthier feeding intentions and greater pursuit of environmental, but not genetic, information. Contrary to hypotheses, the influence of implicit theories and risk perceptions were primarily independent; however, more incremental beliefs predicted less “junk food” feeding among only parents with lower perceived risk.

scholarly journals Experience, experts, statistics, or just science? Predictors and consequences of reliance on different evidence types during the COVID-19 infodemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 096366252110096
Author(s):  
Hang Lu ◽  
Haoran Chu ◽  
Yanni Ma
Keyword(s):  
Disease Prevention ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Communication Theory ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Subjective Norms ◽  
Information Gathering ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The Us ◽  
Processing Variables

As an unprecedented global disease outbreak, the COVID-19 pandemic is also accompanied by an infodemic. To better cope with the pandemic, laypeople need to process information in ways that help guide informed judgments and decisions. Such information processing likely involves the reliance on various evidence types. Extending the Risk Information Seeking and Processing model via a two-wave survey ( N = 1284), we examined the predictors and consequences of US-dwelling Chinese’s reliance on four evidence types (i.e. scientific, statistical, experiential, and expert) regarding COVID-19 information. Overall, Risk Information Seeking and Processing variables such as information insufficiency and perceived information gathering capacity predicted the use of all four evidence types. However, other Risk Information Seeking and Processing variables (e.g. informational subjective norms) did not emerge as important predictors. In addition, different evidence types had different associations with subsequent disease prevention behaviors and satisfaction with the US government’s action to address the pandemic. Finally, discrete emotions varied in their influences on the use of evidence types, behaviors, and satisfaction. The findings provide potentially valuable contributions to science and health communication theory and practice.

scholarly journals Classification of Use of Online Health Information Channels and Variation in Motivations for Channel Selection: A Risk Information Seeking and Processing Perspective (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Zhang ◽  
Hongchao Hu ◽  
Zhen Shi ◽  
Gang Han
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Subjective Norms ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Information Channel ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Information Channels

BACKGROUND The existing health education and communication research routinely measures internet use as a whole by, for example, evaluating how frequently people use the “internet” to search for health information. This fails to capture the complexity and diversity of online channel use in health information seeking. Measurement of generic internet use may cause too much error, and lends no support for media planning in a public health promotion campaign and scholarly research involving internet use. OBJECTIVE This study intended to present a thorough picture of patterns of people’s online health information channel use, and classify people’s use of various types of online health information channels. Under the framework of risk information seeking and processing (RISP), this study also analyzed the differences in motivations behind to offer further evidence to validate the classification scheme. METHODS This study sampled 542 Chinese respondents in Beijing to survey the usage of 13 commonly used online health information channels, and various socio-psychological factors associated with online health information seeking. RESULTS This study derived three categories of online health information channels: searching, browsing and scanning channels. From the perspective of RISP, the study further analyzed people’s motivations to use three types of online health information channels. Use of online searching channels is affect-driven and characterized by stronger need for cognition. Use of browsing channels is directly influenced by informational subjective norms and perceived current knowledge. Use of scanning channels is mainly influenced by informational subjective norms. CONCLUSIONS The results of the study suggest that health communication practitioners and scholars are supposed to measure the “internet”, “new media” or “online media” more precisely instead of simply asking the public about the frequency of internet use in health information acquisition. Future scholarly or formative research may consider measuring usage of internet health information channel by utilizing the three-category scheme discovered by this study.

scholarly journals An Augmented Risk Information Seeking Model: Perceived Food Safety Risk Related to Food Recalls

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 1800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuanhui Liao ◽  
Xiaomei Zhou ◽  
Dingtao Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Information Need ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Food Recalls ◽  
Food Safety Risk

Food safety is of worldwide concern. As an effective mechanism governing food safety, food recalls are widely applied around the world. Though it is well known that food recalls can have substantial, negative impacts on corporate reputation and marketing, we know relatively little related to what factors motivate people to seek related information after the recall announcement. This study attempts to elucidate the determinants of information-seeking intention in the context of food safety in food recalls by using an augmented risk information-seeking model. A survey of 631 Chinese residents was used to explore the proposed framework. The results show that current knowledge, risk perception, perceived channel beliefs, and perceived information-gathering capacity (PIGC) are all significant predictors of information need and information-seeking intention. It was also confirmed that risk perception has a positive correlation with seeking need. These findings are important for policymakers, recalling manufacturers, and retailers to develop strategies for better risk communication in food recall announcements.

scholarly journals The Public's Risk Information Seeking and Avoidance in China During Early Stages of the COVID-19 Outbreak

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Liu ◽  
You Chen ◽  
Dan Shi ◽  
Tingwu Yan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Subjective Norms ◽  
Chinese Adults ◽  
The Public ◽  
Information Avoidance ◽  
Risk Response ◽  
High Level

This study uses the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model (PRISM) to estimate the public's information seeking and avoidance intentions during the COVID-19 outbreak based on an online sample of 1031 Chinese adults and provides support for the applicability of PRISM framework in the situation of a novel high-level risk. The results indicate that information seeking is primarily directed by informational subjective norms (ISN) and perceived seeking control (PSC), while the main predictors of information avoidance include ISN and attitude toward seeking. Because ISN are the strongest predictor of both information seeking and avoidance, the way the public copes with COVID-19 information may be strongly affected by individuals' social environment. Furthermore, a significant relationship between risk perception and affective risk response is identified. Our results also indicate that people who perceive greater knowledge of COVID-19 are more likely to report greater knowledge insufficiency, which results in less information avoidance.

Person, Place, or Thing: Individual, Community, and Risk Information Seeking

2021 ◽  
pp. 107554702098680
Author(s):  
Wan Wang ◽  
Lee Ann Kahlor ◽  
Won-Ki Moon ◽  
Hilary Clement Olson
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Seismic Activity ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
Gas Extraction ◽  
Community Attachment ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Risk Knowledge

This study focuses on the relationship between the community and the environment to explore (1) how community attachment affects residents’ risk perceptions and risk-coping strategies and (2) how risk knowledge is influenced by community-level psychological factors and, in turn, affects the decision to seek risk information. To find answers, 438 Texans were randomly surveyed on the topic of seismic activity induced by nearby natural gas extraction activities. The findings suggest that risk knowledge and risk information seeking intent are related to lower community attachment. Insights and implications related to the study have been provided for communication practitioners.

The Impact of a Highly Publicized Celebrity Suicide on Suicide-Related Online Information Seeking

Crisis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Arendt ◽  
Sebastian Scherr
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Celebrity Suicide ◽  
Online Information Seeking ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Background: Research has already acknowledged the importance of the Internet in suicide prevention as search engines such as Google are increasingly used in seeking both helpful and harmful suicide-related information. Aims: We aimed to assess the impact of a highly publicized suicide by a Hollywood actor on suicide-related online information seeking. Method: We tested the impact of the highly publicized suicide of Robin Williams on volumes of suicide-related search queries. Results: Both harmful and helpful search terms increased immediately after the actor's suicide, with a substantial jump of harmful queries. Limitations: The study has limitations (e.g., possible validity threats of the query share measure, use of ambiguous search terms). Conclusion: Online suicide prevention efforts should try to increase online users' awareness of and motivation to seek help, for which Google's own helpline box could play an even more crucial role in the future.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document