Eye movement inductions influence health behaviour: the working memory account of persuasion

Dijkstra, Arie; Elbert, Sarah

doi:10.1080/08870446.2019.1609678

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 52 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The latter formulation only implies the negative outcomes, and focuses on the solution, thereby lowering the threat and the risk of defensive reactions. However, one earlier study on EMi showed that such message framing did not make a difference in persuasion regarding fruit and vegetable consumption (Dijkstra & Elbert, 2019). Secondly, when prevention efforts focus on lowering SMU, then those with high SMU scores should be targeted, and according to the present study, these are not particularly defensive towards this message.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…This study aimed to identify individual differences that predict defensive reactions towards persuasive information regarding SMU. The general predictors may reveal to what extent the earlier findings on CSAI and self‐esteem in persuasion regarding fruit and vegetable consumption (Dijkstra & Elbert, 2019) can be conceptually replicated with regard to SMU. Replicating these findings would show the robustness and generalizability of the WMaP with its EMi research paradigm, as SMU may be regarded as basically different from fruit and vegetable consumption: Persuasion in SMU is about controlling the impulse to use social media by self‐control behaviours; it is about decreasing an existing, functional behaviour, which is not the case in fruit and vegetable consumption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Thus, when there is not enough WM space, the development of mental images and self‐control actions may be hampered: Mental images may fail to unfold completely, thereby losing quality (e.g. low vividness; Dijkstra & Elbert, 2019), and persuasive power; self‐control actions may be disturbed or prevented, and therefore become less effective in lowering the threat and emotions (Dijkstra & Elbert, 2021). This reasoning also implies that taxing the WM with a competing task influences persuasion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The working memory approach of persuasion: Induced eye movements lead to more social media self‐control behaviours

Dijkstra,

Bodamer

2023

British J Social Psychol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the framework of prevention of social media addiction, persuasive messages can be used to stimulate people to engage in social media self‐control behaviours. However, the effects of these messages may be weakened by defensive reactions. In the Working Memory account of Persuasion, these defensive self‐regulatory actions in the Working Memory (WM) are activated to lower a given threat. Because the WM has limited capacity, and these defensive processes take WM capacity, they can be inhibited by inducing eye movements (EMi). Adults (N = 117) from the general population listened in an online experiment to an auditory message on the negative consequences of social media use (SMU). Half of the participants were randomly assigned to the EMi condition; they were asked to keep watching a moving red square on their screen during the exposure to the auditory message. SMU self‐control behaviour was the outcome measure, assessed by self‐report 2 weeks later. The effects of EMi on SMU self‐control behaviour were moderated by individual differences, indicating defensive self‐regulatory actions: EMi significantly increased behaviour in participants who scored low on Cognitive Self‐affirmation Inclination, high on SMU‐control‐failure, and, unexpectedly, low in SMU. This study detected defensive reactions towards persuasive information concerning SMU, using the EMi research paradigm.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The working memory approach of persuasion: Induced eye movements lead to more social media self‐control behaviours

Dijkstra,

Bodamer

2023

British J Social Psychol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The more specific and concrete the incoming information, the easier the matching process to build a mental image. The mental image can then be used in decision making or problem solving (Dijkstra & Elbert, 2019). When confronted with a present outcome, only a limited matching process with the individual's long‐term memory is needed to build a mental image.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outcome presence and regulatory fit: Competing explanations for the advantage of gains and losses over non‐gains and non‐losses

Praxmarer-Carus

Wolkenstoerfer

Dijkstra

2021

J of Consumer Behaviour

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This research studies goal framing, which focuses on the communication of either the potential benefits associated with performing an action or the potential negative consequences of not doing so. Several studies report that messages presenting gains and losses are more persuasive than those presenting non‐gains and non‐losses. The literature has mostly explained this advantage with regulatory fit. This article notes that two theories can explain the advantage, namely, regulatory fit and feature positivity (outcome presence). However, the former explanation has received significantly more attention in the framing literature than the latter. We also explain that it is difficult to distinguish the two effects empirically because regulatory fit within the message and outcome presence coincide. Consequently, demonstrating an advantage of gains and losses over non‐gains and non‐losses, which many studies have, is not sufficient to support any of the effects. Previous studies have neither discussed the competing explanations nor tried to distinguish them. This article explains that the two theories make different predictions with regard to a moderator and the critical mediators. We use the different predictions to obtain more insights into the relevance of the competing explanations. This article conducts two experiments and studies the moderating effect of premessage regulatory focus and the mediating effects of processing fluency and outcome imagination. We conclude that the framing literature should devote more attention to outcome presence.

show abstract

“…The typical reactions toward weak arguments are negative thoughts, at least, in people for whom the topic is of personal relevance (Petty and Cacioppo, 1986 ; Dijkstra and Ballast, 2012 ). These negative thoughts are manifestations of defensive self-regulatory reactions that lower persuasion to cope with threat-related emotions (Dijkstra and Elbert, 2019 ). Also, in reaction to a persuasive message advocating lower meat consumption such defensive reactions have been traced (Piazza et al, 2015 ), also in psychophysiology (Spelt et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lowering Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption With Environmental, Animal Welfare, and Health Arguments in Italy: An Online Experiment

Dijkstra

Rotelli

2022

Front. Psychol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionIn addition to being a source of valuable nutrients, meat consumption has several negative consequences; for the environment, for animal welfare, and for human health. To persuade people to lower their meat consumption, it is assumed that the personal relevance of the topic of lowering meat consumption is important as it determines how people perceive the quality of the arguments.MethodIn an experimental exploratory field study (n = 139), participants recruited from the general Italian population were randomized to one of the four conditions with a text with pictures on the environmental, animal welfare, or health consequences of meat consumption, or a text on mustard (the control condition). The dependent variables were self-reported consumption of red meat and processed meat after 2 weeks. Personal relevance was assessed in the pre-test with self-reported meat consumption and intention.ResultsThe interaction between pre-test meat consumption and condition was significant: In participants who scored high on pre-test meat consumption, the self-reported red meat consumption after 2 weeks in the health argument condition was significantly lower compared to the control condition and the environmental argument condition. The effects of pre-test intention as a moderator were less certain.DiscussionThe persuasive effects of the different arguments made a difference only in people who ate a relatively high level of meat in pre-test, and the type of arguments made a difference. Although the present outcomes are caused by the specific formulations of the arguments in this study, the results do show that it is relevant to choose the arguments carefully to ensure effectiveness.

show abstract

Eye movement inductions influence health behaviour: the working memory account of persuasion

Cited by 6 publications

References 52 publications

The working memory approach of persuasion: Induced eye movements lead to more social media self‐control behaviours

The working memory approach of persuasion: Induced eye movements lead to more social media self‐control behaviours

Outcome presence and regulatory fit: Competing explanations for the advantage of gains and losses over non‐gains and non‐losses

Lowering Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption With Environmental, Animal Welfare, and Health Arguments in Italy: An Online Experiment

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About