Eye-tracking evidence shows that non-fit messaging impacts attention, attitudes and choice

Ilona Fridman,E Tory Higgins,Peter A Ubel,Eldad Yechiam

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0205993

Abstract

When patients have strong initial attitudes about a medical intervention, they might not be open to learning new information when choosing whether or not to receive the intervention. We aim to show that non-fit messaging (messages framed in a manner that is incongruent with recipients’ motivational orientation) can increase attention to the message content, thereby de-intensifying an initial attitude bias and reducing the influence of this bias on choice. In this study, 196 students received information about the pros and cons of a vaccine, framed in either a fit or non-fit manner with their motivational orientation. The results show that when information was presented in a non-fit (vs. fit) manner, the strength of participants’ initial attitude was reduced. An eye-tracking procedure indicated that participants read information more thoroughly (measured by the average length of fixation time while reading) in the non-fit condition versus fit condition. This average time of fixation mediated the effect of message framing on the strength of people’s attitudes. A reduction in attitude was associated with participants’ ability to recall the given information correctly and make a choice consistent with the provided information. Non-fit messaging increases individuals’ willingness to process information when individuals’ pre-existing attitude biases might otherwise cause them to make uninformed decisions.

Highlights

Imagine that you have a generally positive attitude toward a type of medical procedure
What is the likelihood that you would carefully examine information about it before agreeing to take it? Studies have shown that people tend to process information rapidly and find it unconvincing if it contradicts their initial attitudes [1]
We compared participants’ average fixation duration (AFD) between the fit and non-fit conditions, to test our central hypothesis predicting that regulatory non-fit experience increases how long individuals fixate while reading

Summary

Introduction

Imagine that you have a generally positive attitude toward a type of medical procedure. What is the likelihood that you would carefully examine information about it before agreeing to take it? Studies have shown that people tend to process information rapidly and find it unconvincing if it contradicts their initial attitudes [1]. Strong initial positive attitudes toward a medical procedure might prevent you from exploring the potential risks of that procedure. This, in turn, might result in an uninformed decision, such as choosing to undergo the procedure without fully appreciating its risks.

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