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Journal of Behavioral Medicine Feb 2021To select promising health messages, formative research has often relied on perceived message effectiveness (PME) scales assessing either of two related constructs,...
To select promising health messages, formative research has often relied on perceived message effectiveness (PME) scales assessing either of two related constructs, message perceptions (persuasive potential) and effects perceptions (potential for behavioral impact). We sought to examine their incremental criterion validity within a comparative framework. Participants were 703 U.S. adult smokers (ages [Formula: see text] 21) who received anti-smoking or comparable control (littering) messages on their cigarette packs for 3 weeks. Structural equation models examined both PME constructs as simultaneous correlates of outcomes from the UNC Tobacco Warnings Model. Message perceptions demonstrated incremental criterion validity with attention, an early behavioral antecedent ([Formula: see text] = 0.82, p < .001). Effects perceptions demonstrated incremental criterion validity with later behavioral antecedents (range [Formula: see text] = 0.74-0.87, all p < .01) and quitting behaviors ([Formula: see text] = 0.36-0.66, all p < .001). Formative research on anti-smoking messages may benefit from focusing on effects perceptions to characterize potential for behavior change.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Infant; Perception; Persuasive Communication; Smokers; Tobacco Products; Tobacco Use
PubMed: 32519300
DOI: 10.1007/s10865-020-00163-0 -
Public Health Nutrition Oct 2020To study the extent and nature of free-to-air television advertisements for non-core products (e.g., fast food or soda) directed at children in Hong Kong.
OBJECTIVE
To study the extent and nature of free-to-air television advertisements for non-core products (e.g., fast food or soda) directed at children in Hong Kong.
DESIGN
Television programs from two major Hong Kong free-to-air television channels airing between 06.00 and 24.00 hours from October 2018 to January 2019 were recorded. Eight nonconsecutive days (four weekdays and four weekend days) were selected for analysis. Pearson's χ2 tests were conducted to compare the pattern of food advertisements by program categories, days of the week, television viewing periods and persuasive marketing techniques.
SETTING
Free-to-air television programs.
PARTICIPANTS
Not applicable.
RESULTS
Of the 10 348 commercials identified, 18·4 % were for foods, and 35·2 % of these were for non-core items. Baby and toddler milk formula (19·5 %) were the most advertised food products, while the most frequently advertised non-core food was fast foods (12·3 %). There was a higher non-core to core product ratio during prime time than the children's time slot (7 v. 1·7). Non-sports celebrity endorsement (27·1 %) was the most frequently used persuasive marketing technique overall, while that for non-core products was sensory characteristics (38·2 %). Most food product placements recorded were non-core products, mentions of local and fast food restaurants and recipe additions.
CONCLUSIONS
Non-core products were highly advertised in Hong Kong, while core product advertising was infrequent. Regulations on junk food advertising in Hong Kong should focus on prime time, as well as on food product placement, to reduce children's exposure to persuasive junk food marketing.
Topics: Advertising; Food; Food Industry; Hong Kong; Humans; Persuasive Communication; Television
PubMed: 32524928
DOI: 10.1017/S1368980020000907 -
International Journal of Environmental... Nov 2022Digital communication is a common intervention channel for weight loss, yet little is known about the types of messages that are most effective. Using McGuire's Model of...
Application of McGuire's Model to Weight Management Messages: Measuring Persuasion of Facebook Posts in the Healthy Body, Healthy U Trial for Young Adults Attending University in the United States.
Digital communication is a common intervention channel for weight loss, yet little is known about the types of messages that are most effective. Using McGuire's Model of Communication and Persuasion as a framework, this study investigates the persuasiveness of Facebook messages posted as part of the weight loss intervention in the Healthy Body Healthy U (HBHU) study to determine what message characteristics prompt higher engagement on Facebook, and whether certain messages are more appealing to certain demographics. The first four weeks of HBHU Facebook posts (n = 32) were coded according to McGuire's Input Communication Factors. Facebook engagement scores [(Total Engaged Users/Total Reach) × 100] were calculated for each post to determine effectiveness. The most effective posts were diet-related discussions or interactive polls. Participants who engaged with the highest and lowest effect posts were in their mid-twenties and tended to be female. Those engaged with the highest effect posts had an average BMI of 32.34 kg/m, while those engaged with the lowest effect posts had an average BMI of 31.31 kg/m. The least effective posts were didactic lessons (i.e., diet- or reminder-based), or video-based informational posts (edutainment). Future interventions should balance didactic content and interactive engagement to achieve persuasive messaging.
Topics: Humans; Young Adult; Female; United States; Social Media; Persuasive Communication; Health Promotion; Universities; Weight Loss
PubMed: 36361162
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114275 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Nov 2017People are exposed to persuasive communication across many different contexts: Governments, companies, and political parties use persuasive appeals to encourage people...
People are exposed to persuasive communication across many different contexts: Governments, companies, and political parties use persuasive appeals to encourage people to eat healthier, purchase a particular product, or vote for a specific candidate. Laboratory studies show that such persuasive appeals are more effective in influencing behavior when they are tailored to individuals' unique psychological characteristics. However, the investigation of large-scale psychological persuasion in the real world has been hindered by the questionnaire-based nature of psychological assessment. Recent research, however, shows that people's psychological characteristics can be accurately predicted from their digital footprints, such as their Facebook Likes or Tweets. Capitalizing on this form of psychological assessment from digital footprints, we test the effects of psychological persuasion on people's actual behavior in an ecologically valid setting. In three field experiments that reached over 3.5 million individuals with psychologically tailored advertising, we find that matching the content of persuasive appeals to individuals' psychological characteristics significantly altered their behavior as measured by clicks and purchases. Persuasive appeals that were matched to people's extraversion or openness-to-experience level resulted in up to 40% more clicks and up to 50% more purchases than their mismatching or unpersonalized counterparts. Our findings suggest that the application of psychological targeting makes it possible to influence the behavior of large groups of people by tailoring persuasive appeals to the psychological needs of the target audiences. We discuss both the potential benefits of this method for helping individuals make better decisions and the potential pitfalls related to manipulation and privacy.
Topics: Behavior Control; Direct-to-Consumer Advertising; Extraversion, Psychological; Humans; Individuality; Introversion, Psychological; Mass Behavior; Persuasive Communication; Psychometrics; Social Media
PubMed: 29133409
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1710966114 -
International Journal of Environmental... Sep 2022The increasing prevalence of online purchase of medications, specifically via social media platforms, poses significant health risks due to high chances of such...
The increasing prevalence of online purchase of medications, specifically via social media platforms, poses significant health risks due to high chances of such medications being substandard and falsified (SF). The current study uses a 2 (persuasive appeal: fear vs. humor) x 3 (message repetition) mixed factorial experiment to investigate the effectiveness of persuasive appeals (on intentions to purchase medications online via social media referrals, mediated by psychological reactance (threat to freedom and anger), attitudes toward the public service announcements (PSAs), and viral behavioral intentions. ANOVA results showed the superiority of humor appeals compared to fear appeals in (1) reducing psychological reactance, (2) igniting favorable responses to the PSA, and (3) marginally reducing the intentions to purchase medications vial social media despite lower online engagement intentions (viral behavioral intentions). Pre-existing risk perceptions moderated these differences. A moderated serial mediation model, conducted using PROCESS models, was examined to assess the mechanism by which persuasive appeals and risk perceptions interact in influencing purchase intentions. Findings are discussed theoretically in regard to extending the psychological reactance model within the digital environment and practically in terms of public health, brand protection, and law enforcement recommendations.
Topics: Fear; Humans; Intention; Male; Persuasive Communication; Prostate-Specific Antigen; Social Media
PubMed: 36231640
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912340 -
PloS One 2018Psychological and other persuasive mechanisms across diverse contexts are well researched, with many studies of the effectiveness of specific persuasive techniques on...
Psychological and other persuasive mechanisms across diverse contexts are well researched, with many studies of the effectiveness of specific persuasive techniques on distinct types of human behaviour. In the present paper, our specific interest lies in the development of a generalized modular psychometric tool to measure individuals' susceptibility to persuasion. The scale is constructed using items from previously developed and validated particulate scales established in the domains of social psychology and behavioural economics. In the first study we establish the Susceptibility to Persuasion-II (StP-II) scale, containing 54 items, 10 subscales and further 6 sub-sub scales. In Study 2 we establish the scale's construct validity and reconfirm its reliability. We present a valid and reliable modular psychometric tool that measures general susceptibility to persuasive techniques. Since its inception, we have successfully implemented the StP-II scale to measure susceptibility to persuasion of IT security officers, the role of psychology of persuasion in cybercrime victims and general persuadability levels of Facebook users; these manuscripts are in preparation. We argue that the StP-II scale shows promise in measuring individual differences in susceptibility to persuasion, and is applicable across diverse contexts such as Internet security and cybercrime.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Individuality; Internet; Male; Middle Aged; Persuasive Communication; Psychometrics; Reproducibility of Results; Social Behavior; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 29543845
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194119 -
Critical Care (London, England) Oct 2004The objective of the present article is to review moral assumptions underlying organ donation in the intensive care unit. Data sources used include personal experience,... (Review)
Review
The objective of the present article is to review moral assumptions underlying organ donation in the intensive care unit. Data sources used include personal experience, and a Medline search and a non-Medline search of relevant English-language literature. The study selection included articles concerning organ donation. All data were extracted and analysed by the author. In terms of data synthesis, a rational, utilitarian moral perspective dominates, and has captured and circumscribed, the language and discourse of organ donation. Examples include "the problem is organ shortage", "moral or social duty or responsibility to donate", "moral responsibility to advocate for donation", "requesting organs" or "asking for organs", "trained requesters", "pro-donation support persons", "persuasion" and defining "maximising donor numbers" as the objective while impugning the moral validity of nonrational family objections to organ donation. Organ donation has recently been described by intensivists in a morally neutral way as an "option" that they should "offer", as "part of good end-of-life care", to families of appropriate patients. In conclusion, the review shows that a rational utilitarian framework does not adequately encompass interpersonal interactions during organ donation. A morally neutral position frees intensivists to ensure that clinical and interpersonal processes in organ donation are performed to exemplary standards, and should more robustly reflect societal acceptability of organ donation (although it may or may not "produce more donors").
Topics: Critical Care; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Moral Obligations; Morals; Persuasive Communication; Terminal Care; Third-Party Consent; Tissue and Organ Procurement
PubMed: 15469581
DOI: 10.1186/cc2876 -
PloS One 2020This study used the elaboration likelihood model as a theoretical basis to explore the effects of various persuasion strategies on consumer perception and attitude...
This study used the elaboration likelihood model as a theoretical basis to explore the effects of various persuasion strategies on consumer perception and attitude regarding the corporate image of sports organizations that engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. The moderating effects of involvement, sports team identification, and sports fan curiosity were also examined. The multiple-study approach was employed to increase the external validity of the research. Two studies with cross-sectional between-subject pre-post experimental design were conducted with a total of 390 participants. The research setting was the Fubon Guardians baseball team of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Study I and the Taiwan Beer Basketball Team of the Super Basketball League in Study II. Communication through the central and peripheral routes improved consumers' CSR perception. Furthermore, under low involvement, weak sports team identification, and low sports fan curiosity conditions, communication through the central route and peripheral route improved the participants' CSR perception. However, under high involvement, strong sports team identification, and high sports fan curiosity conditions, the different communication methods had nonsignificantly different effects. The findings of this study provide both academic contributions and practical implications.
Topics: Adult; Baseball; Basketball; China; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Persuasive Communication; Social Responsibility; Taiwan; Young Adult
PubMed: 33284839
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243579 -
Cadernos de Saude Publica Dec 2015This article discusses the application of theories of argumentation and communication to the field of medicine. Based on a literature review, the authors compare... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
This article discusses the application of theories of argumentation and communication to the field of medicine. Based on a literature review, the authors compare Toulmin's model, pragma-dialectics, and the work of Todd and Fisher, derived from American sociolinguistics. These approaches were selected because they belong to the pragmatic field of language. The main results were: pragma-dialectics characterizes medical reasoning more comprehensively, highlighting specific elements of the three disciplines of argumentation: dialectics, rhetoric, and logic; Toulmin's model helps substantiate the declaration of diagnostic and therapeutic hypotheses, and as part of an interpretive medicine, approximates the pragma-dialectical approach by including dialectical elements in the process of formulating arguments; Fisher and Todd's approach allows characterizing, from a pragmatic analysis of speech acts, the degree of symmetry/asymmetry in the doctor-patient relationship, while arguing the possibility of negotiating treatment alternatives.
Topics: Brazil; Decision Making; Humans; Patient Participation; Persuasive Communication; Physician-Patient Relations
PubMed: 26872234
DOI: 10.1590/0102-311X00150914 -
PloS One 2019Stories are often used in health communication because of accumulating evidence of their potential to affect people's attitudes and health behavioral intentions.... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Stories are often used in health communication because of accumulating evidence of their potential to affect people's attitudes and health behavioral intentions. Similarity between the reader and the story's protagonist appears to positively influence narrative persuasion, but the exact role of similarity on persuasive outcomes is debated, as some research finds clear effects of similarity manipulations whereas others do not. Possibly, these mixed results were found because the similarity manipulations were not always relevant to the topic of the story. We conducted an experiment (N = 582) in which we varied the age and gender of the protagonist, features that were of central relevance to the story's topic, namely breast cancer versus testicular cancer. There were two groups of participants: 324 students (mean age: 21.46 years) and 258 older adults (mean age: 56.83 years). Age similarity (but not gender similarity) had an effect on identification with the protagonist, transportation (i.e. the experience of being absorbed into a story), and the intention to donate, but only for students. For older adults, age or gender of the protagonist did not seem to matter, as nearly no differences in persuasive measures were found. As far as the underlying mechanism is concerned, the results of structural equation modeling showed that the concept of 'perceived similarity' would be a relevant addition to models of narrative persuasion, as it was significantly related to the narrative processes of transportation and identification, which, in turn, predicted attitudes and behavioral intentions, both directly-in the case of transportation-or indirectly, via the emotion of compassion. We conclude that both manipulated and perceived similarity are important for narrative persuasion, and that it should be kept on the research agenda of health communication.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Emotions; Female; Health Communication; Humans; Intention; Male; Middle Aged; Persuasive Communication; Testicular Neoplasms
PubMed: 30998694
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215359