Abstract
This paper reports an experimental study investigating the role of cognitive factors and fear in mediating the effects of “fear-arousing” health threat communications. Seventy-seven cigarette smokers were shown either a videotape about smoking or a control videotape on a different health topic before completing a questionnaire assessing their intentions to try to quit, the level of fear aroused, and three cognitive factors: (a) probability difference (perceived reduction in risk of health damage that follows from successful cessation), (b) utility of health damage, and (c) confidence. The smoking videotape influenced probability difference, utility, intentions, and follow-up reports of attempts at cessation. As predicted, both probability difference and utility influenced intention, which in turn influenced behavior. Neither confidence nor the amount of fear aroused by the videotape had significant effects on intention.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ajzen, I., and Fishbein, M. (1980).Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
Edwards, W. (1961). Behavioral decision theory.Annu. Rev. Psychol. 12: 473–498.
Eiser, J. R., van der Pligt, J., Raw, M., and Sutton, S. R. (1985). Trying to stop smoking: Effects of perceived addiction, attributions for failure, and expectancy of success.J. Behav. Med. 8: 321–341.
Hallett, R., and Sutton, S. R. (1986). Factors influencing the decision to attempt to stop smoking in a media-based smoking intervention programme.Health Educ. Res. 1: 163–173.
Hovland, C. I., Janis, I. L., and Kelley, H. H. (1953).Communication and Persuasion, Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.
Janis, I. L. (1967). Effects of fear arousal on attitude change: Recent developments in theory and research. In Berkowitz, L. (ed.),Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Academic Press, New York, Vol. 3, pp. 166–224.
Kenny, D. A. (1979).Correlation and Causality, Wiley, New York.
Leventhal, H. (1970). Findings and theory in the study of fear communications. In Berkowitz, L. (ed.),Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Academic Press, New York, Vol. 5, pp. 119–186.
McGuire, W. J. (1968). Personality and susceptibility to social influence. In Borgatta, E., and Lambert, W. (eds.),Handbook of Personality Theory and Research, Rand McNally, Chicago, pp. 1130–1188.
Rogers, R. W. (1975). A protection motivation theory of fear appeals and attitude change.J. Psychol. 91: 93–114.
Rogers, R. W. (1983). Cognitive and physiological processes in fear appeals and attitude change: A revised theory of protection motivation. In Cacioppo, J. T., Petty, R. E., and Shapiro, D. (eds.),Social Psychophysiology: A Sourcebook, Guilford Press, New York, pp. 153–176.
Rogers, R. W. (1985). Attitude change and information integration in fear appeals.Psychol. Rep. 56: 179–182.
Rogers, R. W., and Mewborn, C. R. (1976). Fear appeals and attitude change: Effects of a threat's noxiousness, probability of occurrence, and the efficacy of coping responses.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 34: 54–61.
Sutton, S. R. (1979). Can subjective expected utility (SEU) theory explain smokers' decisions to try to stop smoking? In Oborne, D. J., Gruneberg, M. M., and Eiser, J. R. (eds.),Research in Psychology and Medicine, Academic Press, London, Vol. 2, pp. 94–101.
Sutton, S. R. (1982). Fear-arousing communications: A critical examination of theory and research. In Eiser, J. R. (ed.),Social Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, Wiley, Chichester, pp. 303–337.
Sutton, S. R., and Eiser, J. R. (1984). The effect of fear-arousing communications on cigarette smoking: An expectancy-value approach.J. Behav. Med. 7: 13–33.
Sutton, S. R., Marsh, A., and Matheson, J. (1987). Explaining smokers' decisions to stop: Test of an expectancy-value approach.Soc. Behav. 2: 35–49.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The Medical Research Council, London, England, provided financial support.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sutton, S., Hallett, R. Understanding the effects of fear-arousing communications: The role of cognitive factors and amount of fear aroused. J Behav Med 11, 353–360 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00844935
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00844935