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Coping with fear through suppression and avoidance of threatening information
Jesper Nielsen1, Stewart Shapiro
1Department of Marketing, Eller College of Management, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0108, USA. jesper@email.arizona.edu
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Applied
|September 16, 2009
Summary
Fear appeals reduce risky behaviors by suppressing threat-related thoughts and diverting attention from harmful information. This study shows fear appeals effectively decrease attention to alcohol advertisements, aiding prevention efforts.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Health Communication
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Fear appeal communications are prevalent in social marketing to deter risky behaviors.
- Previous research has not fully explored the cognitive mechanisms underlying fear appeal effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how fear appeals influence cognitive processing of threat-related information.
- To examine the impact of fear appeals on attentional resources and information processing styles.
Main Methods:
- Participants viewed fear appeal advertisements about drinking and driving.
- Reaction time tasks measured response inhibition to threat-related words.
- Attention to alcohol-related advertisements in a mock magazine was assessed.
Main Results:
- Exposure to fear appeals led to inhibited responses to words semantically related to drinking.
- Participants demonstrated an attention avoidance processing style, reducing focus on alcohol ads.
- These effects were observed while controlling for priming and fear levels.
Conclusions:
- Fear appeals can induce cognitive suppression and attentional avoidance, beneficial for prevention.
- Inhibited processing of alcohol advertisements suggests a positive outcome for reducing risky behaviors.
- Findings challenge prior notions that cognitive suppression hinders prevention efforts.
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