Effect of fear appeals on behavioral intention in coping with threats to health/safety

Research Project

Project/Area Number	11610122
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	教育・社会系心理学
Research Institution	HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY
Principal Investigator	FUKADA Hiromi Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Education, Professor, 大学院・教育学研究科, 教授 (10112161)
Project Period (FY)	1999 – 2001
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2001)
Budget Amount *help	¥3,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000) Fiscal Year 2001: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000) Fiscal Year 2000: ¥400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000) Fiscal Year 1999: ¥2,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,100,000)
Keywords	health / persuation / fear appeal / threat appeal / coping / counterpersuation / target / forewarning / 行動意思 / 後続逆説得 / エイズ予防教育 / 防護動機理論 / 抵抗効果 / 態度変容 / 先行逆説得 / 論駁効果
Research Abstract	This study was designed to clarify the effect of fear appeals on behavioral intention in coping with threats to health/safely. In study 1, the refutation effect of fear appeals on precedent counterpersuasion was examined. High and low fear appeals showed equivalent and significant effect when counterpersuasion had not preceded them, but only the high fear appeal produced significant effect when counterpersuasion had preceded. In study 2, the resisting effect of fear appeals on subsequent counterpersuasion was examined. High fear appeal showed greater resistance to subsequent counterpersuasion than low fear appeal, and amount of the resisting effect changed according to the type of arguments that composed counterpersuasion. In study 3, factors determining on the persuasion impact of fear appeal was examined by using the framework of the protection motivation theory. Fear appeal strengthened the relationship between the seven cognitive variables (offered by the theory) and behavioral intentions to prevent HIV or attitudes toward PWA. In study 4, a comparison of four models on fear appeals was conducted. The perceived threat control model predicted the effects of fear appeals better than the other three models. In study 5, the persuasive effect of fear appeals that aimed at the receiver or his/her family as the threat sufferer (threat-target) was examined. Fear appeals were more effective in the family condition than in the receiver condition. In study 6, the effect of forewarnings on behavioral intention change, before and after fear appeal persuasion, was examined. Forewarnings facilitated the behavioral intention change before the presentation of high fear appeal but inhibited the change after its presentation, whereas forewarnings did not influence the change either before or after the presentation of tow fear appeal.