The present thesis focuses on an important issue in the psychology of health promotion, whether `message framing' is an effective method of persuading people to adopt behaviours beneficial to their physical health. The first study (chapter 2) was a metaanalysis including forty-seven published experiments that investigated differences in persuasiveness between gain and loss messages promoting detection or prevention behaviours (N=27,796 participants). Results showed that the gain-loss difference was small but statistically significant across motivational, psychosocial and affective variables as well as on behavioural outcome. The absolute effect size corresponding to the gain-loss difference was d =. 13 for behaviour, d =. 14 for overall attitudes and d =. 15 for intention. The difference between the two framing types was moderate as far as concerns people's immediate thoughts (d =. 41). Overall, there was stronger support for gain frame advantage in relation to behavioural outcome, outcome efficacy and thoughts for the promotion of prevention behaviours, and some support for loss frame advantage with regard to overall attitudes and perceived risk for the promotion of detection behaviours. Important moderators of the gain-loss difference that emerged from the meta-analysis were perceived risk, regulatory focus of the message (message content) and type of behavioural goal (detection/prevention of disease). In study 2 (chapter 3) and study 3 (chapter 4) there was some support for the moderating role of type of behavioural outcomes embedded within loss or gain messages. Promotion of detection behaviours, such as Type 2 diabetes blood testing maybe enhanced via loss messages with health outcomes, while sex-related prevention behaviours, condom use may be best promoted using gain messages referring to health outcomes. Study 4 (chapter 5) assessed another type of message framing, `temporal framing' incorporated within gain messages promoting sunscreen use. It was shown that by matching the temporal frame of the message with the CFC motivational orientation of the message recipient (Strathman et al., 1994), persuasion is maximised.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:442515 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Kyriakaki, Maria |
| Publisher | University of Essex |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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