Sex differences in attitude and behavior change under conditions of fear and specific instructions

Abstract

The study investigated the effects of three manipulated variables (fear level, specific instructions, and delay in opportunity to act) and two subject variables (sex of subject and prior protection) upon attitudes toward tetanus shots and upon taking tetanus shots. High fear communications produced more favorable attitudes towards shots than did low fear communications. However, differences in the fearfulness of communications were unrelated to taking shots. Subjects were more likely to take shots after either fear communication if the communication was combined with specific instructions. Neither the fear material nor the specific instructions seem to influence behavior when presented alone. These findings support those reported by Leventhal, Singer, and Jones, though the behavioral effects are much weaker. Among the subgroups, female subjects and vulnerable subjects reported higher levels of fear with increasingly threatening messages. In addition, there were some indications of resistance: vulnerable subjects exposed to high fear with specific recommendations, and male subjects vulnerable to disease, were somewhat less favorable toward shots. An hypothesis was offered suggesting that these effects reflected motivation to resist persuasion which is elicited by a coercive communication atmosphere.