Studies on the use of fear appeals: A summary and analysis

While a number of studies have been concerned with the effects of varying intensities of fear appeals on audience response, interpretation of the findings poses a number of problems. The author summarizes some of the major research thus far conducted, analyzes several of the problems involved in interpreting the findings of these studies, and provides some tentative suggestions for fruitful approaches to the study of the effects of fear‐arousing appeals.     

Ancients and moderns on fear and fear appeals: A comparative analysis

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the ancients and the moderns on fear appeals. The paper is divided into two sections. The first presents comparative definitions of “fear”; and “fear appeal.”; The second section relates six conclusions derived in Higbee's review to contributions by the ancients.     

The Zen Scavenger Hunt: Constructing and presenting persuasive messages

Courses: Persuasion; Persuasive Speaking

Objectives: Students will demonstrate the ability to apply persuasive concepts in constructing persuasive messages creatively, and students will present and analyze their persuasive messages.     

Examining the persuasive effect of statistical messages: A test of mediating relationships

The current study tested the degree to which the sample size heuristic (Baesler & Bur goon, 1994), perceived verifiability of evidence (Ah Yun & Massi, 2000), and perceived message credibility (Kopfman, Smith, Ah Yun, & Hodges, 1998) mediate the relationship between the use of statistical evidence in a persuasive appeal and a person's attitude toward a given topic. Four hundred eighty‐six participants were exposed to one of three messages (statistical, narrative, or no‐evidence control) or a no‐message control condition and completed either a 12‐ (control) or 33‐item (experimental) survey that was designed to measure respondents’ perceptions of the sample size heuristic, verifiability of evidence, message credibility, and attitude toward a year‐round academic schedule. Path analysis and hierarchical regression modeling were employed to test the proposed model. Results revealed that the perceived sample size heuristic, verifiability of evidence, and message credibility mediate the relationship between statistical evidence and individuals’ attitudes. Additionally, the perceived sample size heuristic was found to be the strongest unique predictor of attitudes and confirmatory factory analysis results indicated that perceived verifiability and message credibility may be two indicators of a higher‐order factor. These findings and their implications for future research are discussed.     

The use of Ovid local holdings messages: one library's experience

The Ovid local holdings feature can be very beneficial to library patrons. This article describes the use of the feature for one academic health sciences library. Topics covered include how the function works, how it was implemented, how it is updated, the impact of electronic journals, and benefits and drawbacks of use. Also included are suggested enhancements to the system.     

Construct comprehensiveness and cognitive complexity as predictors of the number and strategic adaptation of arguments and appeals in a persuasive message

Subjects differing in construct comprehensiveness and cognitive complexity wrote persuasive messages directed at a fictitious target person and gave written justifications for each argument or appeal used in their messages. Messages were scored for number of appeals used and appeal justifications were scored for the degree of strategic adaptation to the message target they reflected. Construct comprehensiveness correlated positively and significantly with level of strategic adaptation; cognitive complexity correlated positively and significantly with number of appeals used and level of strategic adaptation.     

The influence of warning messages on the public's perception of substance use: A theoretical framework

We bring different theories together to develop a theoretical framework that helps to understand how early warning messages about (new) dangerous drugs can influence the public's perception of substance use. We bring together the agenda setting theory, framing theory, dual processing theory, social learning theory, health belief model, theory of planned behavior, and cultivation theory in order to explain how warning messages diffused through the mass media can have an impact on the receivers' perceptions. Based on these insights we construct the Integrated Media Effect Framework (IMFE) that takes into account the role of cultural and structural contexts in the realm of early warning systems (EWS). Ultimately, this framework provides valuable guidelines for conceptualizing EWS and for developing applications by governments.     

Individual differences in the perception of comforting messages: An exploratory investigation

This study assessed the extent to which six individual difference variables—sex, interpersonal construct differentiation, interpersonal construct abstractness, emotional empathy, and two aspects of communication apprehension—affect the perceptions of preformulated comforting strategies. Theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Popular information: An analysis of FOI use and behavior

A substantial amount of freedom of information research exists, though a majority is focused on U.S. laws' outcomes and FOI's shortcomings. But little is known about who makes requests and why requests are made in the United States. The exploratory study addresses these gaps via a nationally representative survey across key demographic variables of 1116 U.S. residents. Analysis found advanced education to be a strong, positive predictor of FOI familiarity and request submission. Malegender and a belief that FOI improves government accountability were also found to be significant predictors of FOI knowledge and use. The survey sampled U.S. residents, but the results may have international application and suggest continued research on who uses FOI laws and why.     

The persuasive effects of statistical evidence in the presence of exemplars

This paper explores the impact of statistical evidence by varying it while pairing it with a constant set of exemplars. The resulting design includes a condition in which the statistical information and the exemplars advocate the same position (consistent condition), one in which statistical information and the exemplars advocate different positions (inconsistent condition), and a third condition in which only exemplars are presented (control condition). The data indicate that statistical evidence has a substantial effect on judgments, and that the impact of statistical evidence on attitudes is indirect. Specifically, it is mediated by judgments.     

The persuasive campaign: A pedagogy for the contemporary first course in speech communication

The goals, pedagogy, and structure of the first course in speech communication often convey an unintended but nonetheless erroneous implication of audience control by a speaker. Using the persuasive campaign as the pedagogical basis for the speech fundamentals course allows for a broader range of rhetorical strategies and new criteria for evaluating student performances. Use of the persuasive campaign is also totally consistent with contemporary theories of human behavior.     

The effectiveness of appeals used in Cambodian and Vietnamese magazine ads

In this two-part study, a content analysis of advertisements published in Cambodian and Vietnamese magazines was first conducted to determine the kinds of advertising appeals (functional, individualistic, and collectivistic) that were most frequently employed. The findings indicated that across product types, the Cambodian ads contained more individualistic appeals. The Vietnamese ads, on the other hand, depicted more collectivistic and functional appeals. Next, an experiment was conducted to determine audience response to the use of three appeals in ads that promote four product types (informative, affective, habit-forming, and self-satisfaction). Vietnamese participants responded more positively to functional appeals across product types. They also preferred collectivistic rather than individualistic appeals for ads that promote habit-forming and self-satisfaction products. Cambodian consumers, on the other hand, registered more positive attitudes toward ads with individualistic and functional appeals.     

Audience involvement and its antecedents: An analysis of the electronic bulletin board messages about an entertainment-education drama on divorce in Korea

This study, analysing an entertainment-education drama's episodes and bulletin board messages about the episodes, explored the relationship between audience involvement and its antecedents. Episode topic and issue controversy were associated with parasocial interaction and reflection as well as behavioural responses (poll participation and message contribution). This study also found the possibility that entertainment-education interventions could be effectively executed by combining old media's entertainment and education function and cyber media's information and discussion forum providing function.     

The last refuge of media persuasion: news use,national pride and political trust in China

This study examines theoretical connections among three variables, each in its own way engendering profound political implications for the Chinese society today: news use, national pride, and political trust. We focused on the impact of ‘positivity bias in news’ and advanced a theoretical model on the basis of framing theory to address the dynamics of propaganda and its persuasive effects. Using data from the World Value Survey, we found: (1) news use in general, television news viewing in particular, was positively associated with political trust and national pride; (2) impact of news use on political trust disappeared once national pride was statistically controlled; and (3) intensity of national pride moderated the bivariate relationship between news use and political trust. The effect of party propaganda intended to consolidate political trust in China was contingent upon both one's affective ties to the state and the form of news media regularly consumed.     

The persuasive force of similarity in cognitive style between advocate and audience

Prior research indicates that when a bargaining representative is held accountable by a constituency, tough, distributive bargaining is often the result and deadlocks become more probable. This study focuses upon two variables that have been hypothesized to mitigate against such debilitating effects: authority to reach agreements and self‐monitoring. The results confirmed the debilitating effects of accountability. Bargainers held accountable made more extreme initial offers, thought they were perceived to be less cooperative, took more time to negotiate, were more likely to deadlock, and were less satisfied with the outcomes than bargainers not held accountable. Authority interacted with accountability to influence straying from the group's aspiration level on initial and final offers. When accountable, bargainers with authority initially strayed further from the group's position but deviated less on their final offer than bargainers without authority. Delegated authority significantly reduced the number of deadlocks experienced by accountable bargainers but the level of deadlocks remained greater than when accountability was absent. Correlations involving self‐monitoring usually were significant only within the accountability conditions and indicated that high self‐monitors initially strayed less from the group's position but deviated more on their final offer than low self‐monitors.     

An empirical analysis of the use of alphabetical authorship in scientific publishing

There are different ways in which the authors of a scientific publication can determine the order in which their names are listed. Sometimes author names are simply listed alphabetically. In other cases, authorship order is determined based on the contribution authors have made to a publication. Contribution-based authorship can facilitate proper credit assignment, for instance by giving most credits to the first author. In the case of alphabetical authorship, nothing can be inferred about the relative contribution made by the different authors of a publication.In this paper, we present an empirical analysis of the use of alphabetical authorship in scientific publishing. Our analysis covers all fields of science. We find that the use of alphabetical authorship is declining over time. In 2011, the authors of less than 4% of all publications intentionally chose to list their names alphabetically. The use of alphabetical authorship is most common in mathematics, economics (including finance), and high energy physics. Also, the use of alphabetical authorship is relatively more common in the case of publications with either a small or a large number of authors.     

An intellectual utility for science and technology: The national research and education network

This article will provide a brief overview of the primary computer network structures serving the U.S. academic research community. Plans for transforming the Internet into a National Research and Education Network are moving forward under the leadership of the National Science Foundation and the Federal Research Internet Coordinating Committee. The article outlines the scope of computational and information resources likely to be available to users through the national network, and highlights the role envisioned for the network in facilitating effective remote interaction by researchers with colleagues, scientific instruments, and data. When fully implemented, the national network can serve both as a powerful utility that extends the capabilities of scholars, scientists, and engineers, and as a testbed for an electronic information infrastructure available to every home, office and factory in the United States in the 21st century.