Self-persuasion (self-generation of arguments) is often a more effective influence technique than direct persuasion (providing arguments). However, the application of this technique in health media communications has received limited attention. In two experiments, it was examined whether self-persuasion can be successfully applied to antialcohol media communications by framing the message as an open-ended question. In Experiment 1 (N = 131) cognitive reactions to antialcohol posters framed either as open-ended questions or statements were examined. In Experiment 2 (N = 122) the effectiveness of this framing to reduce actual alcohol consumption was tested. Experiment 1 demonstrated that exposure to an antialcohol poster framed as an open-ended question resulted in more self-generated arguments for drinking less alcohol and more favorable message evaluations than framing the same message as a statement. Experiment 2 showed that the self-persuasion poster did not affect the choice to consume alcohol but did reduce alcohol consumption for individuals who chose to drink any alcohol, compared with a direct persuasion poster or no intervention. Together, the results demonstrated the potential of self-persuasion in persuasive media messages for interventions aimed at alcohol consumption reduction specifically and for health communication in general. (PsycINFO Database Record

In this experiment, we examined if participating in a Facebook group by generating antialcohol arguments (selfpersuasion) is more effective than reading antialcohol posts of others (direct persuasion) in changing alcohol consumption, risk perception, and attitudes. In addition, it was examined if submitting posts moderated these effects. Participants logged into their Facebook account and joined a group that contained posts with antialcohol arguments. They either generated their own arguments with or without posting them, or read those present in the group with or without posting that they had read them. Next, participants rated movie clips in a 30-minute ad libitum drinking session in dyads, and their alcohol consumption was measured. Finally, measures of alcohol risk perception and attitudes were completed. Results show that generating antialcohol arguments-regardless of whether they are posted online-is effective in increasing alcohol risk perception but does not affect immediate alcohol consumption.

Self-persuasion (i.e., generating your own arguments) is often more persuasive than direct persuasion (i.e., being provided with arguments), even when the technique is applied in media messages by framing the message as a question. It is unclear, however, if these messages are more persuasive when viewed for a long period to allow more elaboration about the message, or for a short period to reduce elaboration. In the current experiment, this is addressed by examining whether anti-alcohol posters framed as a statement (direct persuasion) or an open-ended question (self-persuasion) are more effective to reduce alcohol consumption under conditions of short- or long message exposure, compared to a control condition (no poster). Additionally, the potentially moderating roles of self-perceived alcohol identity and self-esteem on both types of persuasion are examined. Participants (N = 149) were exposed to a self-persuasion or direct persuasion anti-alcohol poster, either briefly before or continuously during a bogus beer taste task. The amount of alcohol consumed was the covert dependent variable. Contrary to expectations, both posters failed to affect alcohol consumption, regardless of exposure length. No moderation effects for self-perceived alcohol identity and self-esteem of the participants were found. Possible explanations are discussed.

Abstract. Direct persuasion (i.e., providing people with arguments in favor of a certain behavior) can activate resistance in the receiver and, thus, result in a hampered influence attempt. More promising techniques to influence people’s behavior are self-persuasion (SP; i.e., asking people to generate arguments themselves) and the question–behavior effect (QBE; i.e., asking people to predict their future behavior), which can be easily implemented in social media settings. As both rely differently on message elaboration and focus on different outcomes, we investigated whether SP or QBE is more effective in a social media setting to increase helping behavior. In a between-subjects design, participants viewed an online Facebook group related to United World Schools and either (a) read arguments regarding helping others (direct persuasion), (b) provided arguments regarding helping others (SP), or (c) stated whether they intended to help others (QBE), while their message elaboration was assessed. We hypothesized that both SP and QBE would positively impact attitudes and levels of helping behavior compared to the direct persuasion condition. Additionally, we hypothesized that QBE and SP are equally effective in changing behavior, but that SP is more effective than QBE in changing attitudes toward helping, especially when participants strongly elaborate on their own arguments regarding the positive aspects of helping. Results showed no evidence of SP and QBE influencing attitudes toward helping and helping behavior. For behavioral intentions, some, albeit limited, evidence was found that SP and QBE can have an effect.

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