Message Conditions Research Articles

Organ donation messages and psychological reactance: examining preemptive and postscript mitigation strategies coupled with restoration scripts

ABSTRACT This study compared the effectiveness of script location (preemptive or postscript) and restoration mitigation (restorative or non-restorative) for reducing psychological reactance and increasing message reactions and behavioral intentions versus a control message. Undergraduates (N = 415) completed an online survey experiment promoting signing the organ donor registry. Unexpectedly, no differences were found among the 5 message conditions for threats to freedom, anger, or behavioral intentions. Significant differences were found for all 4 experimental conditions versus the control condition for negative cognitions. Significant differences were found only between the restorative postscript condition and the non-restorative preemptive condition for message reactions.

The Role of Choice and Descriptive Norms in Attenuating Reactance to BPA Risk Messages: A Conceptual Replication

ABSTRACT The current study examined behavioral recommendations to reduce Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure through the lens of psychological reactance theory. This study conceptually replicated previous work by [Reynolds-Tylus, T., Martinez Gonzalez, A., & Quick, B. L. (2019). The role of choice clustering and descriptive norms in attenuating psychological reactance to water and energy conservation messages. Environmental Communication, 13(7), 847–863. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2018.1461672)] by examining two antecedents to psychological reactance: choice and descriptive norms. Participants (N = 607) were randomly assigned to one of five message conditions in a 2 (choice: choice, no choice) X 2 (descriptive norm: high vs. low) factorial design with a no message control. Results indicated that messages providing choice (vs. no choice) within a cluster of environmental health behaviors decreased freedom threat perceptions. As expected, reactance was negatively associated with intention to reduce BPA exposure. Descriptive norm (high vs. low) was unrelated to freedom threat but indirectly influenced behavioral intention to reduce BPA exposure as mediated through perceived descriptive norm. Our results speak to the importance of replication in communication research and provide evidence-based message design advice for environmental health campaigns. Findings are discussed in terms of the theoretical and practical contributions of the current study.

Resistance to anti-smoking messages related to the higher smoking stigma of Korean female smokers.

The degree of perceived smoking stigma can differ, based on various factors such as gender; this may influence the effect of smoking cessation interventions, including denormalization. This study investigates the gender differences in smoking stigma recognized by Korean smokers and explores the effect of these differences on the success of smoking cessation messages that aim to initiate an identity crisis among smokers. It aims to contribute to effective smoking cessation intervention strategies for female smokers. The smoker-gender Implicit Association Test (IAT) was used to measure gender-based smoking stigma; the test comprised photos of people smoking, with positive and negative descriptors. Participants were 120 smokers aged 19-35 years (60 males and 60 females). Participants' cognitive attitudes toward smoking and cessation intentions were assessed at baseline. To investigate the effect of social stigmatization on smokers, participants were asked to watch anti-smoking campaigns that stigmatized either smoking behavior or smokers' self-identity. Cognitive attitudes and cessations intention were used to show differences in gender and message conditions. The IAT D-score showed that female smokers perceived other female smokers significantly more negatively than they did male smokers, suggesting a higher level of smoking stigma. Female smokers in the socially stigmatizing condition reduced their negativity toward smoking less than those who were not stigmatized. Moreover, cessation intentions did not improve when female smokers received identity-threatening messages, indicating that female smokers tended to resist stigmatizing messages. These findings provide empirical evidence that the gender of Korean smokers is significantly related to differences in smoking stigma. The negative perception and resistance responses of female smokers shown in this study are consistent with the findings of previous studies on the stigma of substance use disorders and addiction. High smoking stigma can also be a risk factor in anti-smoking interventions, including health communication; therefore, these findings should be interpreted with caution.

Examining the Influences of Message Formats, Context-Induced Moods, and Issue-Relevant Determinants on the Effectiveness of Ecolabels

We examined how young adults processed ecolabels (i.e. environmental warning labels), specifically by investigating how different warning message conditions and issue-relevant factors influenced the effectiveness of environmental warning messages. Findings from a 3 (message context formats: ads vs. positive PSAs vs. negative PSAs) x 3 (product categories: conservation vs. recycling vs. eco-friendly) mixed within- and between-subjects experimental design indicated that the effectiveness of ecolabels, assessed via message recall, message recognition, attitudes, and behavioral changes, was influenced by various issue-relevant determinants, as well as message context formats and context-induced moods. We also found that these predictors exhibited distinct patterns of influences for different types of environment-friendly products. Theoretical implications, as well as empirical suggestions for environmental communication professionals and policymakers to enhance the effectiveness of ecolabels and young adults’ awareness of environmental threats, were discussed.

Effects of a Brief Safe Drinking Intervention on Depressive and Anxiety Symptomatology: Examining Potential Side Effects of Deviance Regulation Theory Interventions.

College students are at a heightened risk of experiencing depression and anxiety symptomatology and engaging in maladaptive alcohol use. Understanding how alcohol interventions impact emotional functioning is essential. One such intervention uses Deviance Regulation Theory (DRT), which posits that behavior can be modified using targeted messaging as a function of perceived norms. DRT has been shown to be effective at increasing responsible drinking behaviors and decreasing alcohol-related consequences. However, it is unclear if this intervention influences emotional functioning. The current examines the impact of a DRT intervention on emotional functioning. Participants (n = 147) were recruited from a large Southeastern university. The study included a screening phase, intervention, and six-week follow-up. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a positive message condition about people who drink responsibly, a negative message condition about people who do not drink responsibly, and an active control condition. During the study, all participants reported on depression/anxiety symptoms, alcohol use, responsible drinking, and alcohol-related consequences. Mixed-effects regression was used to analyze the data. Results suggest an overall reduction of depressive and anxiety symptomatology in the intervention conditions but not in the control condition. In the positive condition, there was a decrease in depressive and anxiety symptomatology. The messaging was not moderated by normative beliefs. The negative condition also led to decreases in depression and anxiety symptomatology over time. In addition, perceived norms moderated the negative message in the first week after the intervention, an effect consistent with DRT. Prior research indicates this intervention is efficacious for the reduction of adverse alcohol outcomes; these data show that the intervention may also have positive effects on downstream mental health outcomes.

The Effect of Parent-Targeted Obesity Messaging on Parental Weight Talk Intention: A Randomized Controlled Experiment

ABSTRACT It is unknown if parent-targeted health messages about childhood obesity affect parental weight communication with children (e.g., encouraging a child to diet). This randomized, controlled, online experiment assessed the effects of exposure to different message frames on parental intentions to 1) engage in weight communication with their child and, 2) follow the health advice in the message. A diverse sample of U.S. parents (N = 452) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 1) a mock news article emphasizing childhood obesity (weight-framed message) with health behavior advice for parents; 2) an article with identical health behavior advice for parents, but framed within the context of improving children’s school performance (school-framed message); and 3) a no-treatment control group. Following message exposure, parents completed online surveys assessing their intention to engage in weight communication and the recommended health behaviors. Hierarchical linear regression was used to assess the relationship between experimental condition and the outcome variables. Parents in the weight-frame condition were significantly more likely to report intention to engage in weight communication with their child than parents in the control group, while there was no difference between the school-frame condition and the control group. Parents in both message conditions were equally likely to report intention to adopt the health advice, but parental weight-based self-stigma moderated the relationships. Parent-targeted health advice that features childhood obesity may encourage parents to engage in weight communication with their children. Our findings can inform the development of health messages targeting parents about children’s weight-related health.

Correcting misperceptions about very low nicotine cigarettes for cigarette-only smokers, dual/poly smokers, other tobacco users, and non-tobacco users

BackgroundThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the sale and marketing of two very low nicotine cigarettes (VLNC) as modified risk tobacco products. The misperception that VLNC are healthier than regular cigarettes is common. This study explores effective message strategies to inform the public about health risks associated with VLNC use, encourage cigarette smokers to try VLNC, and prevent other tobacco users and non-users from product initiation. MethodsFollowing the Reasoned Action approach, a VLNC educational message was developed based on the salient beliefs associated with behavioral intention. The message was tested in an online survey conducted in 2018, where 410 participants were randomly assigned to one of the two message conditions (no-message, VLNC message). Message effects were assessed across four tobacco-use groups (non-tobacco users, cigarette-only smokers, cigarette dual/poly smokers, other tobacco users). ResultsCompared to the no-message control, the VLNC message condition showed lower nicotine risk perception for all participants, lower misbelief in VLNC safety for non-users and cigarette-only smokers, higher belief in VLNC carcinogenicity for other tobacco users, stronger belief in second-hand smoke harm for cigarette dual/poly smokers and other tobacco users, and higher VLNC intention for cigarette-only smokers. ConclusionsDifferent messages are needed for different types of tobacco users. Both cigarette smokers and other tobacco users could benefit from messages that acknowledge the non-addictiveness but emphasize the health risks of VLNC. Regulators could consider making physical harm statements a requirement for VLNC packaging and marketing. New strategies need to be explored to inform cigarette dual/poly smokers.

Prosocial Campaigns With Virtual Influencers: Stories, Messages, and Beyond

This research addresses the rising prominence of virtual influencers (VIs) by asking a crucial question: “How can we effectively use virtual influencers to not only reach audiences but also deeply resonate with them, particularly in promoting socially responsible behaviors?” We propose employing narrative messaging to enhance virtual influencers’ effectiveness in delivering prosocial messages. In a 2 (VI appearance: human-like vs. anime-like) × 2 (message style: narrative vs. non-narrative) between-subjects design, 320 Gen-Z and younger Millennials were exposed to simulated Instagram posts by a VI discussing cyberbullying. Results indicated that human-like virtual influencers led to higher supporting intent and message credibility, especially in the non-narrative condition. However, in the narrative message condition, the advantage of human-like appearance diminished. These findings highlight the significant role of VI appearance in prosocial message reception and the conditional influence of message style. Actionable insights for practitioners leveraging VIs in social marketing strategies are discussed.

Saying “thanks” and “sorry” in a Japanese workplace: expressing gratitude and apologies functions as an effective politeness strategy

ABSTRACT This study examined how expressed gratitude and apologies functioned as politeness strategies among 499 Japanese workers. In this online experimental research with 4 message conditions (control, gratitude, apologies, both) and 2 status conditions (lower/same), participants read a message from a hypothetical coworker and reported perceptions of face threats in the message, the coworker’s warmth, and their willingness to engage in prosocial behavior. Results indicated that expressed gratitude and apologies reduced face threats compared to no expressions. Further, path analysis showed that expressed gratitude indirectly affected perceptions of warmth through reduced face threats. Additionally, status differences influenced participants’ prosocial behavior.

Breast cancer awareness messages: investigating response among Lebanese women.

While national Lebanese studies done on breast cancer attest to the importance of awareness campaigns none, however, examine the type of content that most effectively reaches women. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine, through an experiment, the effectiveness of direct versus indirect messaging, in altering knowledge, risk perception, attitudes, behaviors and self-efficacy among two groups of women, those aged 18-40 and 41-65 years. Findings suggest that the designed breast cancer communication messages were perceived as informative, trustworthy and believable regardless of message type. An interaction effect indicated that the older age group (41+) who were exposed to the indirect message felt more confident in taking proactive measures than the 18- to 40-year-old participants. In addition, those exposed to the indirect message were more likely to behave as communicated than those in the direct message condition. At the very least, the messages, both direct and indirect, helped minimize misconception or correct people's knowledge about the subject. This shows that participants and by extension people, in general, pay attention to breast cancer awareness messaging. Making these messages available to all age groups and motivating them to take proactive/preventative measures becomes even more significant, especially with the higher incidence of cancer among women aged 18-40 years in Lebanon.

Effects of Exposure to Conflicting Health Information on Topic-Specific Information Sharing and Seeking Intentions

ABSTRACT Despite considerable evidence that exposure to conflicting health information can have undesirable effects on outcomes including public understanding about and trust in health recommendations, comparatively little is known about whether such exposure influences intentions to engage in two communication behaviors central to public health promotion: information sharing and information seeking. The purpose of the current study is to test whether exposure to conflicting information influences intentions to share and seek information about six health topics. We analyzed data from two waves of a longitudinal survey experiment with a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 3,920). Participants were randomly assigned to either a conflict or no-conflict message condition, in which they read news stories and social media posts about three (of six) randomly selected health topics at Time 1 and the remaining three at Time 2. The dependent variables, which were measured at Time 2, asked participants whether they intended to share or seek information about the three topics they had just viewed. Linear mixed effects models showed that exposure to conflict reduced intentions to share and seek information, regardless of health topic. These findings suggest that exposure to conflicting health information discourages two important types of health information engagement, thus adding to the growing evidence base documenting the adverse consequences of conflicting information for public health.

Independent and combined effects of very low nicotine cigarette messages and e-cigarette messages: a randomised clinical trial

BackgroundUSA is considering reducing nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels, coupled with promoting alternative nicotine delivery products (eg, e-cigarettes). However, effective communication is needed to reduce misperceptions about very low...

Using social media surveys and interventions to address vaccine hesitancy in Saudi Arabia

Background: Countering COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy has been a challenge in Saudi Arabia, one of the countries affected most by the pandemic in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Aims: To identify information needs, perceived benefits, concerns, trusted information sources, social norms, and predictors for COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Saudi Arabia and identify effective messaging strategies to increase vaccination intentions among the unvaccinated. Method: Between March and April 2021, we conducted an online cross-sectional survey (N = 2883), and in part, a randomized experiment for unvaccinated participants (n = 675) in Saudi Arabia using Facebook Ads and Messenger. Unvaccinated participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 5 message conditions and after message exposure, participants were asked if they planned to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Results: In total, 2883 adults participated in the survey. All message framings worked equally well, with no statistically significant difference between the arms. Approximately 80% of the participants across all message conditions said they intended to vaccinate. However, participants wanted to know more about the vaccines; about 35% wanted to know more about vaccine efficacy, 31.5% about safety, 26.8% about health authority’s recommendation, and 3.7% about where to get the vaccines. Health workers (61.4%) and scientists and epidemiologists (25.7%) were the most trusted sources. Others were family members (7.5%), community leaders (2.2%), religious leaders (1.6%), friends (1.4%), and celebrities and social media influencers (0.2%). Conclusion: Vaccine hesitancy can be overcome by understanding individuals’ decision-making processes and using effective risk communication targeted to their needs.

Humanizing Metaverse: Psychological involvement and masstige value in retail versus tourism platforms

AbstractAcross two experimental studies, this research puts forward the concept of avatars' self‐representation and regulatory message framing to discover psychological involvement and masstige value in retail and tourism platforms, demonstrating how avatar self‐representation and message framing can potentially indicate Metaverse psychological involvement in the Metaverse. The proteus effect was applied to study avatar falsity. The promotion/prevention regulatory focus theory was employed to examine the effect of message framing in hypothetical retail and tourism platforms in Study 1 (n = 846). Further determinants of masstige value were captured using the masstige theory. In parallel with Study 1, Study 2 (n = 817) adopted real‐world examples of the Metaverse—Gucci Vault Plaza (Retail) and Baidu Xi Rang (Tourism) to equally examine the effect of users' psychological involvement on Metaverse involvement via masstige value. Respondents were allocated to either a self‐promotion or self‐verification avatar condition. The results demonstrated significant downstream effects of these specific self‐promotion and self‐verification categories, thereby contributing to an important conceptual subdimension in the measurement and understanding of online self‐perception within the context of avatars. When participants imagined using a self‐verification avatar in the prevention‐focused message condition, significant effects were observed. Further, a Metaverse platform is a critical factor that affects masstige. Exploring the masstige value at the Metaverse demonstrates the relationship between self‐enhancement and masstige desire for luxury that underscores Metaverse involvement. The research presented a critical insight into the carryover effects of self‐representation of avatars that can establish a new form of meta‐interaction. This research provides insights into technology in virtual retail and tourism Metaverse applications to provide users with more psychologically authentic solutions within the Metaverse.

How Do Gain-Loss Frames and Cultural Arguments Persuade? Designing Effective Messages to Weaken College Students’ Binge-Drinking Intentions

To design effective health messages, this study investigates the effects of gain-loss framing and relevant moderating effects in the context of college students’ alcohol use. Specifically, based on an online experiment, we tested the moderation effects of message-sidedness and binge-drinking behaviors using a mediation model in which the association between gain-loss framing and behavioral intentions is mediated by attitudes toward binge-drinking. Four hundred thirty-four Korean college students participated in this study. Hayes’ PROCESS Macro for SPSS was employed for the analysis. The results show that loss-framing significantly increased participants’ unfavorable attitudes toward binge-drinking in the one-sided message condition. Moreover, attitudes toward binge-drinking were more significantly associated with behavioral intentions to binge-drink among heavy drinkers than among non-heavy drinkers. Our findings suggest important theoretical and practical implications for the development of message-framing strategies in health campaigns designed to prevent college students’ binge-drinking in collectivistic societies where the cultural meaning of drinking extends beyond the individual realm to the larger social context.

Gender differences in responses to an altruistic message regarding rubella vaccination.

The supplementary immunization activity (SIA) for the rubella vaccination of adult men born between 1962 and 1978 began in 2019 in Japan because of a vaccine gap in the cohort, as vaccination was not mandatory for those born in that period. However, SIA coverage remains low, despite an active campaign and financial support. We conducted a randomized controlled study based on a 2 (scenario: self-vaccination, child vaccination) × 2 (message: self-interest, group-interest) factorial design, using a Japanese online panel. Participants with children were assigned to the child vaccination scenario in Intervention 1, whereas others were assigned to the self-vaccination scenario. After Intervention 1, all participants were given the same information about rubella. In Intervention 2, participants assigned to self-interest messages received a message emphasizing the risk of rubella, and those assigned to group-interest messages received a message emphasizing herd immunity. After Intervention 2, we evaluated the effects using a questionnaire. Among the 2,206 participants, information regarding rubella was evaluated as more reliable in the group-than in the self-interest message condition, especially among women. Women evaluated the necessity of rubella vaccination for adult men and women to be higher in the child-vaccination scenario and group-interest messages. However, no differences were found among men. By contrast, men exposed to the self-interest message positively evaluated the reliability of the rubella explanation. The findings indicate that emphasizing self-interest messages is more effective for men in promoting herd immunity against rubella.

Conveying The Negative Health Consequences of Smoking For The Development of School-Based Social Marketing Programs: An Experimental Study

Cigarette products certainly have a negative impact on health, especially for teenagers. Although there is a growing body of literature on the positive social influence of peers as a preventative measure, it is unclear how they react when convinced of the truth of its negative impact on health. This experimental study aims to examine the impact of negative health consequences on adolescents' emotions and behavior. Through an online invitation and randomization process, 78 high school students from South Sumatra Province, Indonesia were eligible to participate in the online experimental study. We compared two groups (experimental vs. control) to examine the impact of negative health consequences on their emotions (empathy) and behavior (prosocial behavior). Our findings show that, as compared to adolescents in the non-convincing health message condition (n=40), adolescents in the convincing negative health message condition (n=38) had higher empathy (sign=0.005) and prosocial behavior (sign=0.028) to assist their smoking peers. Our findings provide a valuable information to sustainability development in the future through reducing underage smokers. We suggest that the use of convincing method to develop a school-based social marketing program for handling adolescent smoking problem

Let’s Influence That Attitude Before It’s Formed: Inoculation Against Reactance to Promote DEI Training

Despite annual investments of $8 billion by U.S. organizations on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training, many DEI programs are derailed by resistance from members whose attitudes and behaviors the programs are intended to address. The current study tested the effectiveness of a narrative-based inoculation strategy designed to mitigate resistance attributable to psychological reactance. Participants ( N = 273) were randomly exposed to either a single-message assignment-to-DEI-training notification or a dual-message inoculation condition in which they received a pro-DEI-training message before receiving the assignment-to-DEI-training notification. The inoculation condition produced lower levels of reactance and greater positive attitude change in favor of DEI training, with reactance mediating the effects of the message conditions on change in attitude toward DEI training and political ideology moderating the effects of reactance. The results contribute to the field by demonstrating the potential utility of inoculation strategies for promoting DEI training and other organizational initiatives.

The Effects of Physical Activity Messages on Physical Activity Support Behaviors and Motivation Among Parents of Children with Disabilities

ABSTRACTPersuasive messages can motivate parent support for physical activity (PA). Many PA messages targeting parents are not necessarily inclusive of parents of children with disabilities (CWD). Guided by the theory of planned behavior and multi-process action control model, the relative effects of PA messages were examined among parents of CWD. Parents (N = 135) were randomized to view one of four PA messages. Parent support for PA and various psychosocial antecedents were assessed before and after message viewing, along with message preference. Baseline parent support for PA acted as a moderator on the effects of messages. Effects of messages did not differ between message conditions. Overall message effects were observed for attitudes, subjective norms and planning. Parent support for PA increased only among parents with low baseline parent support and the inclusive message was most preferred. This study can inform the development of PA messages targeting this population.

Promoting Achievable Goals to Increase Physical Activity

Abstract Background Physical inactivity is a leading contributor to the development of non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Public health messages that advocate activity guidelines with specific duration thresholds (e.g., 30 minutes per day) have had limited success. This approach may risk an ‘all or nothing’ mindset whereby people feel exercise is not worthwhile unless they can meet recommended guidelines. World Health Organization guidelines recognise that any activity is better than none. In line with this, the present study aimed to test the effectiveness of two messages that referred to relative rather than absolute increases in physical activity: ‘Sit less, move more’ and ‘Add 2000 steps to your day’. Methods A representative sample of 7995 Australian adults responded to three surveys over six-weeks, with random assignment to a control condition (non-physical activity message) or one of two physical activity message conditions: Sit less, move more or Add 2000 steps to your day at each time point. At all three time points, respondents were exposed to their allocated message and reported their frequency of enacting the recommended behaviours. To account for attrition over the surveys, an intention-to-treat approach was adopted. Two generalised estimating equations models were run to examine time-by-condition interactions for the enactment of each message. Results Compared to control, respondents in the Add 2000 steps to your day condition significantly increased their enactment of adding 2000 steps to their day over time (B=.161, p=.011). Those in the Sit less, move more condition did not significantly differ from control in the frequency of enacting this message. Conclusions Promoting a specific physical activity goal that was relative to baseline activity increased the enactment of the recommended behaviour. Messages seeking to promote physical activity may be more effective if they include goals that are clear and feasible. Key messages • A message encouraging people to add 2000 steps to their day successfully increased physical activity. • Promoting achievable goals in physical activity messages might be a useful public health strategy.