Communicating about gifts of life: the effect of knowledge, attitudes, and altruism on behavior and behavioral intentions regarding organ donation

Much of the limited literature on organ donation has focused on the demographic and psychographic profiles of people who are willing to become organ donors. More information about the relationship of attitudes, values, knowledge, and actual behavior among adults is needed if targeted communication campaigns promoting organ donation are to succeed. The results of a mail survey of 798 adults sampled (via stratified random sampling procedures) from two local sites of a national corporation suggest that attitudes toward donation, knowledge about organ donation, altruism, and perceived social norms are significantly associated with both actual behavior (having signed an organ donor card) and behavioral intent (among non-donors) to sign a card in the future. These findings support the major models of organ donation willingness, especially those advanced by Horton and Horton (1991) and Kopfman (1994). This study also advances current knowledge of organ donation willingness by 1) using a large, relatively diverse population of adults rather than relying on a student sample; and 2) focusing on specific knowledge barriers that distinguish donors from non-donors.     

Investigating the impact of multidimensional social capital on equity crowdfunding performance

This research explores how social capital, in the multidimensional perspective using cognitive, relational and structural dimensions influences equity-crowdfunding (ECF) performance considering both the number of investors engaged and the funds collected. Our results demonstrate that cognitive dimensions in part affects ECF performance, in fact shared meaning has a little positive impact on both funding collected and the number of investors, while shared language has a negative effect on the investors involved. Both obligation and trustworthiness (relational dimension) positively influence ECF performance. Regarding the structural dimension, social network ties has positive effects on ECF performance, while social interactions has a positive impact on funding collected. The research contributes to the current literature on ECF and highlights new factors affecting ECF performance. The study has implications from both a theoretical and a practical perspective. The study findings will be relevant for entrepreneurs, platforms managers and policymakers and offers avenues for further research.     

An Exploration of Transportation and Psychological Reactance in Organ Donation PSAs

The present study expands on prior work on the use of narratives in persuasive communication by examining students’ (N = 201) reactions to six organ donation public service announcements (PSAs). Reactions to the type of appeal, donor-focused or recipient-focused, were also explored. Results indicated that being immersed in the PSA was positively associated with message reactions and negatively associated with threats to overall freedom of choice when deciding whether or not to become an organ donor. Those perceived threats partially mediated the relationship between immersion into the story of the PSA and message reactions, such that increased threats were associated with reduced message reactions. Individuals exposed to the recipient-focused appeals were more interested in the narrative of the PSAs than those exposed to donor-focused appeals. Results are discussed in the context of future message and campaign development.     

太平天国二破江南大营战役中的皖南战场

在二破江南大营战役中,皖南各部太平军积极配合李秀成实施南下皖浙边界、奔袭杭州的战术机动,主动向各自正面敌人出击,牵制皖南清军。同时他们还为建平会议的召开积极准备条件。他们在战役期间均圆满完成了各自的战术牵制任务,为最后战略决战的胜利做出了贡献。     

An Experimental Investigation of Social Identification on College Student Organ Donor Decisions

This investigation examined whether persuasive organ donation messages that target individuals’ identification with a salient social group will be more effective in encouraging these individuals to become organ donors than will information-only persuasive messages. Participants were randomly assigned to view one of two pro-organ donation messages, both of which included basic information about organ donation (need, number of registered donors, etc.) while one also targeted social identity. Findings indicate that individuals exposed to a social identification message were more likely to click a link that allowed them to officially register as organ donors. These results offer support for the utility of social identification as a health communication campaign strategy for increasing organ donation.     

上海与抗日战争

今年是世界反法西斯战争胜利60周年。1931年日本侵略者发动了“九一八”事变,上海的民众立即掀起了抗日救国运动和抵制日货运动的高潮。在国民政府顽固实行“攘外必先安内”的不抵抗政策时,上海成立各种抗日救国组织,成为中国抗日救亡运动的中心。从工人、帮会到童子军,各界民众广泛地参加了抗日活动,上海的特殊环境,使它成为国共两党走向第二次合作的里程碑式的地点,为国共第二次合作的得以实现做出了巨大贡献。“一二八”、“八一三”两次淞沪抗战,给日本法西斯以沉重打击。上海人民与犹太难民、朝鲜的反日志士以及其它一些热爱和平的国外人士一道,生活在同一上海屋檐下,始终斗志昂扬,投身于共同的反法西斯大业中去。上海为抗战的胜利作出了不可磨灭的贡献。     

Syntactic Indeterminacy,Perceived Message Sensation Value-Enhancing Features,and Message Processing in the Context of Anti-Tobacco Advertisements An earlier version of this manuscript was presented at the 2004 National Communication Association Annual Convention in Chicago,IL, November 11–14, 2004

Fast-paced and arousing anti-drug ads, considered to have high perceived message sensation value (PMSV), enhance message processing and reduce drug use among young adults. Studies have yet to explore the relationship between specific, PMSV-enhancing message features and outcomes related to persuasion. Messaris’ (1997) concept of syntactic indeterminacy provides one plausible explanation for why message features contained in high PMSV ads might enhance message processing and subsequent changes in attitudes and behavior. The study explored this explanation by coding specific anti-tobacco ads for PMSV-enhancing features, merging these codes to a telephone survey among teens, and testing the relationship between message features and processing. The number of unrelated cuts and the use of suspenseful features (intense imagery and a second-half punch) increased message processing among older teens. An additive index comprised of these features was associated with message processing among both younger and older teens. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

The Effectiveness of High- and Low-Intensity Worksite Campaigns to Promote Organ Donation: The Workplace Partnership for Life

This study describes a worksite project designed to promote organ donation while testing the effectiveness of low-intensity (media-only) campaigns compared to high intensity campaigns (media+interpersonal communication), which incorporated on-site visits. All campaigns lasted 10 weeks. A total of 45 companies participated in the project, 15 in each quasi-experimental condition. Companies were counterbalanced by size of organization and industry type. Compared to the control condition, high-intensity worksite campaigns led to a six-percentage point increase in signed donor registrations while low-intensity campaigns led to a three-percentage-point increase. Both forms of worksite campaigns led to increases in attitudes, knowledge and perceived subjective norms from pretest to posttest when compared to control sites. At the same time, worksite campaigns served to significantly reduce individual-level barriers shown to be related to donation, such as medical mistrust and desire to maintain bodily integrity.     

We Are the Tea Party!: The Use of Facebook as an Online Political Forum for the Construction and Maintenance of in-Group Identification during the “GOTV” Weekend

Researchers have found Facebook to be a viable tool for major party candidates; however, few scholars have sought to investigate how Facebook messages influence an emerging political group's online identity. This study examined how Tea Party supporters used Facebook to construct and maintain an identity during the “Get Out The Vote” weekend. Applying a grounded theory approach, we found that Tea Party supporters engaged in two types of polarization language strategies to construct and preserve their online identity. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the “echo chamber” effect.