Threat Type Moderates Agency Assignment: A Partial Matching Effect

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Risk Communication
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Understanding how message framing influences threat preparedness is crucial for public health and safety.
• Previous research indicates agency assignment plays a role in message effectiveness, but interactions with threat type require further examination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of assigning human versus threat agency on individuals' behavioral intentions regarding threat preparedness.
• To explore the moderating role of threat type (human-ascribed vs. non-human-ascribed) in the relationship between agency assignment and preparedness intentions.

Main Methods:

• Experimental design with participants randomly assigned to four conditions: human agency/human threat, human agency/non-human threat, threat agency/human threat, threat agency/non-human threat.
• Participants received two messages in random order, and their responses, including behavioral intentions for threat preparedness, were measured.
• Analysis involved examining main effects of agency assignment and interaction effects with threat type on behavioral intentions.

Main Results:

• A significant main effect of agency assignment was found: threat agency increased behavioral intentions for threat preparedness compared to human agency.
• An agency assignment by threat type interaction emerged, demonstrating that threat agency was more effective for non-human-ascribed threats than human-ascribed threats.
• This interaction indicated a partial matching effect where threat agency enhanced behavioral intentions for non-human threats but not for human threats.

Conclusions:

• Framing messages with threat agency can be a more effective strategy for promoting threat preparedness behaviors, particularly for threats not directly linked to human actors.
• The findings suggest a nuanced approach is needed, considering both the source of agency and the nature of the threat when designing public safety communications.
• Implications for risk communication strategies highlight the importance of tailoring message elements to optimize public response to diverse threat types.