Utility and Cost-effectiveness of Motivational Messaging to Increase Survey Response in Physicians

Field Methods ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-55
Author(s):  
Randolph C. H. Chan ◽  
Winnie W. S. Mak ◽  
Ingrid H. Y. Pang ◽  
Samuel Y. S. Wong ◽  
Wai Kwong Tang ◽  
...  

The present study examined whether, when, and how motivational messaging can boost the response rate of postal surveys for physicians based on Higgin’s regulatory focus theory, accounting for its cost-effectiveness. A three-arm, blinded, randomized controlled design was used. A total of 3,270 doctors were randomly selected from the registration list. Results showed that motivational messaging was effective in boosting response rate among younger physicians at relatively low cost when the messages were sent during the delivery of generic invitation letter and questionnaire. However, message framing had no significant impact on postal surveys’ response rate. Future postal surveys can consider using motivational messaging to maximize survey participation in physician population without incurring much extra cost.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Sadat Rezai ◽  
Catherine Marie Burns

BACKGROUND There have been challenges in designing effective behaviour-change interventions, including those that promote physical activity. One of the key reasons is that many of those systems do not account for individuals’ characteristics and their psychological differences, which affect their approach toward adopting target behaviour. For decades, tailoring has been used as a common technique to effectively communicate health-related information to persuade people to follow a healthier living. However, its use in the design of persuasive technologies has not been adequately investigated. OBJECTIVE The objective of this research is to explore the effects of tailoring when it is grounded in Higgins’ regulatory focus theory. METHODS A combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies has been proposed to examine how individuals’ intention to become more physically active would be affected by receiving health messages that may or may not match their self-regulatory orientation. The research would also subjectively, as well as objectively, measures the changes in individuals’ physical activity level. RESULTS The anticipated completion date for the consequent studies is December 2016. CONCLUSIONS In this article, the importance of refining message-framing research questions and a stepwise approach to develop an efficient experimental design to examine a new tailoring strategy is discussed. A set of small studies is proposed that would inform the best approach to design the principal experiment. The findings of principal experiment will provide a deeper insight into the relationship between regulatory-focus theory, persuasive message construction, and individuals’ physical activity behaviour.


2005 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haipeng (Allan) Chen ◽  
Sharon Ng ◽  
Akshay R. Rao

In this article, the authors examine cross-cultural variations in how people discount the future. Specifically, they predict that people from Western cultures are relatively less patient and therefore discount the future to a greater degree than do people from Eastern cultures, and thus Westerners value immediate consumption relatively more. Furthermore, on the basis of regulatory focus theory, the authors predict that when Easterners are faced with the threat of a delay in receiving a product (i.e., a prevention loss), they are more impatient, whereas when Westerners are faced with the threat of not being able to enjoy a product early (i.e., a promotion loss), their impatience increases. This enhanced impatience manifests in preference for expedited consumption of a product purchased online in two studies. In both studies, the authors used a priming methodology on “bicultural” Singaporean participants; the results support the predictions. In the second study, they also found evidence in support of the process-based explanation for the interaction between culture and message framing.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leann K. Lapp

There exists substantial literature describing how the two motivational systems of promotion and prevention (Regulatory Focus Theory; Higgins, 1997) influence behaviour. However, the specific cognitive correlates of regulatory focus remain unclear. Furthermore, how regulatory focus may influence the course of cognitive aging is unknown. Experiment 1 compared healthy older and younger adults on Higgins' measure of self-discrepancy and explored relationships with cognition. Experiment 2 compared younger adults induced into either a promotion or prevention focus relative to a no-induction control condition on measures of cognition. The results from Experiment 1 revealed that while the magnitude of self-discrepancy remains constant across the lifespan, the evaluation and content of self goals changes with age. The results from Experiment 2 suggest that the effects of the regulatory focus induction are limited but specific to particular aspects of memory and perception. Overall, these findings may contribute to our understanding of aging and motivated cognition.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leann K. Lapp

There exists substantial literature describing how the two motivational systems of promotion and prevention (Regulatory Focus Theory; Higgins, 1997) influence behaviour. However, the specific cognitive correlates of regulatory focus remain unclear. Furthermore, how regulatory focus may influence the course of cognitive aging is unknown. Experiment 1 compared healthy older and younger adults on Higgins' measure of self-discrepancy and explored relationships with cognition. Experiment 2 compared younger adults induced into either a promotion or prevention focus relative to a no-induction control condition on measures of cognition. The results from Experiment 1 revealed that while the magnitude of self-discrepancy remains constant across the lifespan, the evaluation and content of self goals changes with age. The results from Experiment 2 suggest that the effects of the regulatory focus induction are limited but specific to particular aspects of memory and perception. Overall, these findings may contribute to our understanding of aging and motivated cognition.


Author(s):  
E. Tory Higgins ◽  
Emily Nakkawita

Self-discrepancy theory and regulatory focus theory are two related motivational theories. Self-discrepancy theory describes the associations between self and affect, positing that the relations among different sets of self-concepts influence a person’s emotional experience. A discrepancy between a person’s ideal self-guide (e.g., hopes and aspirations) and his or her actual self-concept produces dejection-related emotions (e.g., sadness), whereas a discrepancy between a person’s ought self-guide (e.g., duties and obligations) and his or her actual self-concept produces agitation-related emotions (e.g., anxiety). The intensity of these emotional experiences depends upon the magnitude and accessibility of the associated discrepancy. Regulatory focus theory builds on self-discrepancy theory, positing that distinct self-regulatory systems are reflected in the two types of self-guides proposed in self-discrepancy theory. The promotion system is motivated by ideal end-states, by pursuing hopes and aspirations; as a result, it is primarily concerned with the presence or absence of positive outcomes—with gains and non-gains. Given this focus on gains and non-gains, the promotion system is motivated by fundamental needs for nurturance and growth. In contrast, the prevention system is motivated by ought end-states, by fulfilling duties and obligations; as a result, it is primarily concerned with the presence or absence of negative outcomes—with losses and non-losses. Given this focus on losses and non-losses, the prevention system is motivated by fundamental needs for safety and security. The promotion and prevention systems predict a range of important variables relating to cognition, performance, and decision-making.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicenc Fernandez ◽  
Xavier Armengol ◽  
Pep Simo

At present, a large number of theories exist which explain the process for choosing communication media in organizations. Channel expansion theory combines a large part of the theoretical foundation for these theories, suggesting that the perceived richness of a communication medium varies according to experience based on the knowledge of the organization’s members. Equally, Regulatory Focus Theory also suggests that individuals behave in a different way when their self regulation states are different. This investigation intends to present a set of proposals based on the existing literature about how strategy type /focus (promotion and prevention) affects the perception of the richness of a communication medium, increasing the explanatory capacity of channel expansion theory.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roxana Agrigoroaie ◽  
Stefan-Dan Ciocirlan ◽  
Adriana Tapus

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