No abstract

In this paper, we conceptualized fatalism as a set of health beliefs that encompass the dimensions of predetermination, luck and pessimism. A 20-item scale was developed as a measurement instrument. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test the dimensionality of the scale. Three external variables (i.e., genetic determinism, perceived benefits of lifestyle change, and intention to engage in healthy behavior) were used as reference variables to test the construct validity of the scale. Data from a web-based national survey (N=1218) showed that the scale was unidimensional on the second order, and with good reliability (α =.88). The relationships between the external variables and the first- and second-order factors provided evidence of the scale’s external consistency and construct validity.

The third-person effect hypothesis has generated a vibrant research area. The expansion of this literature poses need for a systematic synthesis of the empirical evidence and assessment of the viability of various theoretical accounts. For this purpose, a metaanalysis is conducted on all published empirical studies of the perceptual component. This analysis covers 60 papers, 106 studies, and 372 effect sizes. Results from a series of multilevel models show that the third-person perception is robust and not influenced by variations in research procedures. Desirability of presumed message influence, vulnerability of referent others, referent others depicted as being similar to self, and others being likely audience of the media content in question are significant moderators. A vote counting analysis is conducted on 124 self-other comparisons in 29 studies from 13 additional papers that do not have the necessary statistical information. Further analyses are conducted to detect and estimate potential publication bias. Based on the empirical synthesis, the paper evaluates several explanatory factors and offers suggestions for future research.

This article examines the role of message-induced state empathy in persuasion. Messageinduced empathy is conceptualized as a perception-action process that consists of affective, cognitive, and associative components. Twenty professionally produced public service announcements (PSAs) were used as stimuli messages in a 2 (high vs. low empathy) × 2 (antismoking vs. drunk driving) × 5 (messages) mixed-design quasi-experimental study. The 289 participants were randomly assigned to each cell and watched five PSAs presented in a random sequence. Results showed that state empathy has unique contribution to predicting persuasion outcomes above and beyond the individual's affective and cognitive responses to the messages. In addition, state empathy also has an indirect effect on persuasion via mitigating psychological reactance.

Can perceived message effectiveness (PE) be considered a cause of actual effectiveness (AE)? If so, PE judgments can be used as valid indicators of the persuasiveness of messages in the preimplementation phase of campaigns. In addition, manipulating PE may be a viable persuasive strategy. But, if the reverse causal sequence obtains (AE/PE), then the strategy would be ineffective and the utility of PE in formative campaign research meaningless. Structural equation analysis of 2 cross-sectional data sets (N = 202 and 204) concerned with fear appeals favored the PE/AE hypothesis. Two additional studies (N = 140 and 237), which employed a total of 13 public service announcements (PSAs), returned the same result. A fifth experimental study (N = 119) which utilized 2 PSAs provided further indication that PE/AE but not the reverse. At least under the conditions that characterize formative research, PE may be viewed as a causal antecedent of AE.