Driving down danger: Using regulatory focus and elaborative approach to reduce intentions to text & drive

Abstract

Texting and driving is a growing societal concern, yet few studies have examined motivational determinants and elaborative processing driving this behavior. Thus, we combine regulatory focus theory and two elaborative approaches to information processing (imagining versus considering) to examine the issue of texting and driving. The findings demonstrate that promotion-focused (prevention-focused) individuals have greater intentions to decrease texting and driving when asked to imagine (versus consider) potential outcomes. However, focusing specifically on negative outcomes suppresses the effect of imagining for promotion-focused individuals, whereas a focus on negative outcomes does not significantly change the effect of imagining versus considering for prevention-focused individuals. Further, low (high) cognitive load renders both elaborative approaches equally effective for promotion-focused (prevention-focused) individuals. Finally, negative emotional intensity is identified as the mediator driving these effects. The findings underscore the need to tailor texting and driving advertisements to consumers' motivational and processing frames.