1,721,036 research outputs found
Factors influencing the effectiveness of advertising countermeasures in road safety
No full textThe current program of research contributes to the World Health Organisation's (WHO, 2004) recent call to pool global resources in the attempt to uncover the most effective countermeasures and polices for the prevention of road trauma. Specifically, this program of research investigates the persuasive outcomes of different emotional health messages in an important applied context, road safety. In this context the use of negative, fear-based approaches has predominated with limited use of more positive-based approaches such as humorous- or pride-based emotional appeals. The overarching aim of the current research program was to examine the effectiveness (i.e., persuasiveness) of positive and negative emotional appeals and, specifically, the issue- or message-relevant affect that such appeals evoke. An additional aim was to ascertain the relative influence and effectiveness of positive and negative emotional appeals for specific target audiences. Particular attention was given to the effectiveness of such messages for males, a high risk road user group of particular concern. The research program also aimed to examine the relative roles and interplay of emotion and cognition in determining message effectiveness. The research focused upon the cognitive constructs of response efficacy (i.e., the extent to which a message incorporates coping strategies and information as well as the extent that individuals' perceive a message as incorporating such coping strategies and information) and involvement (i.e., the extent to which individuals perceive an issue or message as personally relevant and/or as being at risk of experiencing).----- \ud
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The research program may be conceptualised as three stages, with each stage comprised of an empirical study and one or more manuscripts. The first stage of the research explored the roles and effectiveness of negative and positive emotional appeals. With a substantial body of literature available on the use of fear as a persuasive strategy, Paper One reviewed the theoretical and empirical evidence relating to the function and effectiveness of such appeals. This paper highlighted the mixed findings that have been reported and the controversy surrounding the nature of the fear-persuasion relationship. This paper also highlighted the importance of cognitive components of a message and, in particular, the need to incorporate high levels of response efficacy and to be cognisant of the issue of threat and message relevance.-----\ud
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Paper Two was based on qualitative research derived from focus groups of licensed drivers (N = 16). The study investigated the roles and effectiveness of positive and negative emotional appeals in road safety advertisements addressing speeding and drink driving. The results suggested that positive and negative emotional appeals may serve different functions. Positive emotional appeals were regarded as a potentially efficacious means of promoting the message of prevention and to model safe behaviour and the rewards received whereas negative emotional appeals were regarded an important way to remind drivers of the dangers of driving.----- \ud
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The second stage of the research program endeavoured to extend upon the findings reported in the first stage by providing an empirical comparison of positive, humorous appeals and negative, fear-based appeals on a range of outcome measures and over time. In Paper Three, the type of emotional appeal (positive/humorous, negative/fear), level of response efficacy (low, high), level of involvement (low, high), and gender were manipulated in a 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 mixed group design. Licensed drivers (N = 201) completed either a paper-and-pencil or internet-based version of a questionnaire. Prior to the anti-drink driving television advertisements being shown, pre-exposure were assessed. Attitudes and intentions were then assessed immediately after exposure and attitudes, intentions, and behaviour, 2 to 4 weeks later. The results provided evidence of the greater persuasiveness of negative appeals immediately after exposure and greater improvement of positive appeals over time. Also, the results highlighted the importance of high levels of response efficacy, irrespective of emotional appeal type. Paper Three also supported and extended upon earlier findings by examining third-person perceptions in relation to positive, humorous emotional appeals. The results revealed that males reported significantly greater overall influence both to themselves personally, as well as other drivers in general, than females for the humorous appeals. Further, consistent with the multiple roles of affect posited by Elaboration Likelihood Model, explanations were provided for the differential effectiveness of positive and negative affect.----- \ud
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An additional aim of the second stage of the research program was to clarify an important methodological issue; the sampling adequacy of traditional university student samples versus internet-based samples for health message persuasion research. Fear appeal empirical literature has been criticised for its over-reliance upon student samples. Paper Four examined the extent that the internet may function as an efficacious means of accessing drivers for road safety advertising research. The sample characteristics and results obtained from student and internet samples of drivers were compared empirically. The results provided support for the greater diversity and representativeness of the internet sample and suggested that the two sampling approaches produce equivalent results. This paper served to inform the validity of prior research and informed the choice of sampling methodologies for the subsequent research stage reported in Paper Five.----- \ud
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The third stage of the research built upon the preceding stages and, most notably, broadened the scope of emotional appeals examined by comparing a range of negative and positive emotional appeals addressing the issue of speeding. Drawing upon the Rossiter-Percy (1987, 1997) motivational model, Paper Five examined two different negative and two positive emotional appeals designed as audio messages. Specifically, the type of emotional appeal (Problem Avoidance/Fear based; Problem Removal/ Agitation or annoyance-based; Social Approval/ Pride-based; and Intellectual Mastery/ Humour-based), level of response efficacy (low, high), level of involvement (low, high), and gender were manipulated in a 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 fully between groups design. A range of persuasion outcome measures, including attitudes and intentions, were assessed immediately after exposure and 1 month later. Further, the study assessed adaptive (message acceptance) as well as maladaptive (message rejection) intentions. The results provided evidence of the effectiveness of humorous-based appeals for males and highlighted that appeals of the same valence (positive or negative) need not have the same persuasive effects. The results also supported the importance of response efficacy for all appeal types and highlighted that a message's overall effectiveness requires consideration of both message acceptance and rejection rates.-----\ud
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Overall, the current research program, based upon a sound, multi-disciplinary theoretical framework, provided evidence for the need to broaden the scope of emotional appeals in the road safety advertising context and which may also be relevant within a wider health persuasion context. The results of the three studies have important theoretical and practical implications for future campaign development which are discussed
Designing and evaluating a persuasive child restraint television commercial
No full textObjective\ud
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Relatively high rates of child restraint inappropriate use, misuse and faults in the installation of restraints have suggested a crucial need for public education messages to raise parental awareness of the need to use restraints correctly. This project involved the devising and pilot testing of message concepts, filming of a television advertisement (the TVC), and the evaluation of the TVC. This paper focuses specifically upon the evaluation of the TVC. The development and evaluation of the TVC were guided by an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour which comprised the standard constructs of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control as well as the additional constructs of group norm and descriptive norm. The study also explored the extent to which parents with low and high intentions to self-check restraint/s differed on salient beliefs regarding the behaviour. \ud
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Methods\ud
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An online survey of parents (N = 384) was conducted where parents were randomly assigned to either an Intervention group (n = 161), and therefore viewed the advertisement within the survey, or the Control group (n = 223) and therefore did not view the advertisement. \ud
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Results\ud
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Following a one-off exposure to the TVC, the results indicated that, although not a significant difference, parents in the Intervention group reported stronger intentions (M = 4.43, SD = .74) to self-check restraints than parents in the Control group (M = 4.18, SD = .86). Also, parents in the Intervention group (M = 4.59, SD = .47) reported significantly higher levels of perceived behavioural control than parents in the Control group (M = 4.40, SD = .73). The regression results revealed that, for parents in the Intervention group, attitude and group norm were significant predictors of parental intentions to self-check their child restraint. Finally, the exploratory analyses of parental beliefs suggested that those parents with low intentions to self-check child restraints were significantly more likely than high intenders to agree that they did not have enough time to check restraints or that having a child in a restraint is more important than checking the installation of the restraint. \ud
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Conclusion\ud
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Overall, the findings provide some support for the persuasiveness of the child restraint TVC and provide insight into the factors influencing reported parental intentions as well as salient beliefs underpinning self-checking of restraints. Interventions that attempt to increase parental perceptions of the importance of self-checking restraints regularly and brevity of the time involved in doing so may be effective
Students' responses to the RACQ docudrama program
No full textYoung people are over-represented in road crashes and school-based education programs, including the RACQ Docudrama program, represent initiatives aimed at improving road safety among this high-risk group. The aim of the study was to apply an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour framework to understand more about the extent to which the program influenced individuals‟ intentions to speak up to a driver engaging in risky behaviours (e.g., speeding). Senior high school students (N=260) from 5 Queensland schools completed a survey in class. The study included a Control group (n = 86) who responded to the survey prior to completing the Docudrama program and an Intervention group comprising an Intervention-Immediate (n=100) and an Intervention-Delayed group (n = 74) who completed the survey after having participated in the program either on the day or up to a week later, respectively. Overall, the findings provided support for the beneficial effects of the program. Some of the study’s key findings included: \ud
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(i) Intervention group participants consistently reported significantly stronger intentions to speak up than participants in the control group; \ud
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(ii) among the significant predictors of intentions, a notable finding was that the more individuals anticipated feeling regretful for not having spoken up to a risky driver, the stronger their intentions were to speak up, and;\ud
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(iii) the level of fear reported by students significantly decreased and was lowest at the conclusion of the program, following facilitated group discussion. The implications of the results for future research, program development and practice are discussed
Is there an App for that? : social media uses for road safety
No full textThe use of social media has increased dramatically in recent years in the areas of public health and injury prevention, with many organisations creating online and social media content. Despite the adoption of such media by modern society, research relating to the design and evaluation of social media for the promotion of health issues is very much in its infancy.\ud
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A timely review of the available evidence in relation to the use of social media campaigns from both the road safety and broader public health context will be undertaken. In particular, this paper will address the questions of what social media should be developed, how it should be evaluated, as well as what should be the key measures of success and to what extent do these measures relate to practically significant outcomes, such as behaviour change.\ud
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Much like more traditional media campaigns, social media may be best regarded as another approach within the array of potential approaches that a health advertising researcher or practitioner may utilise. With younger demographics becoming less likely to engage with more traditional advertising mediums relative to their preference for social media, social media‟s most important role in the road safety advertising context may be to offer the means of delivering road safety messages to high risk, younger road users
Profiling Drink Driving Offenders in Queensland
No full textThe major objective of this research was to characterise drink drivers in Queensland and generate profiles of drink drivers within the general driving population, convicted drink drivers, recidivist drink drivers, and crash-involved drink drivers. This profile was part of Phase 1 of the work program of the Impaired Driving Legislation Review Research Sub-Group convened by Queensland Transport, and was conducted to provide background information that could inform other components of the review. Variables of interest included: gender; age; Indigenous status; licence status; frequency of drink driving; BAC at time of drink driving offence; previous convictions; location of drink driving offence; socio-economic status (income and education); employment; purpose of trip; passengers; and vehicle type. While profiles of the drink driving offender were generated for each of the four "sub-groups" of drink drivers, this paper will present the general profile of the drink driver in Queensland
The use of neurocognitive methods in assessing health communication messages: A systematic review
No full textWe review 20 studies that examined persuasive processing and outcomes of health messages using neurocognitive measures. The results suggest that cognitive processes and neural activity in regions thought to reflect self-related processing may be more prominent in the persuasive process of self-relevant messages. Furthermore, activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), the superior temporal gyrus, and the middle frontal gyrus were identified as predictors of message effectiveness, with the MPFC accounting for additional variance in behaviour change beyond that accounted for by self-report measures. Incorporating neurocognitive measures may provide a more comprehensive understanding of the processing and outcomes of health messages
Essential elements for recruitment and retention : Generation Y
No full textPurpose: \ud
Generation Y (Gen Y) is the newest and largest generation entering the workforce. Gen Y may differ from previous generations in work-related characteristics which may have recruitment and retention repercussions. Currently, limited theoretically-based research exists regarding Gen Y’s work expectations and goals in relation to undergraduate students and graduates.\ud
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Design/methodology/approach:\ud
This study conducted a theoretically-based investigation of the work expectations and goals of student- and working-Gen Y individuals based within a framework incorporating both expectancy-value and goal setting theories. N = 398 provided useable data via an on-line survey.\ud
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Findings:\ud
Overall, some support was found for predictions with career goals loading on a separate component to daily work expectations and significant differences between student- and working- Gen Y on career goals. No significant differences were found, however, between the two groups in daily work expectations.\ud
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Research limitations/implications:\ud
Future research may benefit from adopting a theoretical framework which assesses both daily work expectations and career goals when examining the factors which motivate Gen Y’s decisions to join and remain at a particular organisation.\ud
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Practical implications:\ud
At a practical level, based on the findings, some examples are provided of the means by which organisations may draw upon daily work expectations and career goals of importance to Gen Y and, in doing so, influence the likelihood that a Gen Y individual will join and remain at their particular organisation.\ud
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Originality/value:\ud
This research has demonstrated the utility of adopting a sound theoretical framework in furthering understanding about the motivations which influence organisations’ ability to recruit and retain Gen Y, among both student Gen Y as well as those Gen Y individuals who are already working
Examining women's alcohol consumption: The Theory of Planned Behavior and self-identity
No full text<b>Background</b>\ud
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Changing trends demonstrate that women, in several economically-developed countries, are drinking at higher levels than ever before. Objective: This study applied an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), including self-identity, to examine women’s intentions to consume alcohol. \ud
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<b>Methods</b>\ud
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Women (N = 1069) aged 18 to 87 years, completed a questionnaire measuring their intentions to engage in binge drinking and frequent drinking. As research indicates that drinking trends are a function of age, hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted separately for four age groups (18 to 24, 25 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 and above). Results: Results supported the predictive utility of the TPB, (particularly Attitudes and Perceived Behavioral Control). Across the age groups, the final models explained between 48% and 62% of the variance in intentions to binge drink and between 33% and 51% of the variance in intentions to drink frequently. Subjective norms were significant associated with the youngest group (18 to 24 years) and the oldest group (45+ years). Self-identity was significantly associated with intentions to binge drink in younger women. \ud
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<b>Conclusions</b>\ud
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Implications are discussed with regard to the predictive utility of an extended TPB to include self-identity in determining women’s intentions to consume alcohol. Key factors that influence women’s decisions to engage in risky drinking behaviors have been underlined to inform future interventions
Concealed texting while driving : what are young people’s beliefs about this risky behaviour?
No full textMaking a conscious effort to hide the fact that one is texting while driving (i.e., concealed texting) is a deliberate and risky behaviour involving attention diverted from the road. As the most frequent users of text messaging services and mobile phones while driving, young people appear at heightened crash risk from engaging in this behaviour. First, several small focus group discussions (N = 12) were carried out to elicit the underlying salient beliefs regarding this behaviour, in accordance with the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Findings from these discussions, in conjunction with available prior evidence regarding general mobile phone use while driving, then informed questionnaire items that assessed young peoples’ beliefs regarding this behaviour, as well as intention to engage in this behaviour in the next week. In the questionnaire phase of the study, participants (N = 171) were aged 17–25 years, owned a mobile phone, and held a current driver’s licence. Results showed that there were significant differences between low and high intenders (to engage in concealed texting while driving) on the behavioural, normative, and control beliefs investigated. Specifically, high intenders were more likely to believe that concealed texting while driving would result in sharing information with others, using time effectively, and were less likely to think that free-flowing traffic would prevent their engagement in this behaviour. By targeting these beliefs, these findings may potentially inform the development of advertising and other public intervention strategies, aimed at ensuring young drivers reconsider their engagement in this risky behaviour
Concealing their communication : exploring psychosocial predictors of young drivers’ intentions and engagement in concealed texting
No full textMaking a conscious effort to hide the fact that you are texting while driving (i.e., concealed texting) is a deliberate and risky behaviour involving attention diverted away from the road. As the most frequent users of text messaging services and mobile phones while driving, young people appear at heightened risk of crashing from engaging in this behaviour. This study investigated the phenomenon of concealed texting while driving, and utilised an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) including the additional predictors of moral norm, mobile phone involvement, and anticipated regret to predict young drivers’ intentions and subsequent behaviour. Participants (n = 171) were aged 17 to 25 years, owned a mobile phone, and had a current driver’s licence. Participants completed a questionnaire measuring their intention to conceal texting while driving, and a follow-up questionnaire a week later to report their behavioural engagement. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed overall support for the predictive utility of the TPB with the standard constructs accounting for 69% of variance in drivers’ intentions, and the extended predictors contributing an additional 6% of variance in intentions over and above the standard constructs. Attitude, subjective norm, PBC, moral norm, and mobile phone involvement emerged as significant predictors of intentions; and intention was the only significant predictor of drivers’ self-reported behaviour. These constructs can provide insight into key focal points for countermeasures including advertising and other public education strategies aimed at influencing young drivers to reconsider their engagement in this risky behaviour
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