TY - JOUR
T1 - Testing the effects of certain versus hypothetical language in health risk messages
AU - Katz, Sherri Jean
AU - Byrne, Sahara
AU - Mathios, Alan D.
AU - Avery, Rosemary J.
AU - Dorf, Michael C.
AU - Safi, Amelia Greiner
AU - Niederdeppe, Jeff
PY - 2020/1/2
Y1 - 2020/1/2
N2 - This paper tests how certainty conveyed through language can be harnessed to enhance the effectiveness of health risk messages. We conducted experiments with low-income, adult smokers (n = 317) and middle schoolers (n = 321) on pictorial cigarette warning labels. We manipulated hypotheticality of risk through verb modality: present tense, may, can, and will. For adult smokers, present tense led to greater health risk beliefs, compared to hypothetical, among adult males but not females. For youth, contrary to what might seem intuitive, the hypothetical may verb was more effective than the present tense language in promoting health risk beliefs, which was associated with reduced susceptibility to use cigarettes. We discuss the findings in relation applications of construal level theory to health communication.
AB - This paper tests how certainty conveyed through language can be harnessed to enhance the effectiveness of health risk messages. We conducted experiments with low-income, adult smokers (n = 317) and middle schoolers (n = 321) on pictorial cigarette warning labels. We manipulated hypotheticality of risk through verb modality: present tense, may, can, and will. For adult smokers, present tense led to greater health risk beliefs, compared to hypothetical, among adult males but not females. For youth, contrary to what might seem intuitive, the hypothetical may verb was more effective than the present tense language in promoting health risk beliefs, which was associated with reduced susceptibility to use cigarettes. We discuss the findings in relation applications of construal level theory to health communication.
KW - Construal level theory
KW - health risks
KW - hypothetical language
KW - tobacco
KW - warning labels
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85079340101&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85079340101&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/03637751.2019.1640889
DO - 10.1080/03637751.2019.1640889
M3 - Article
C2 - 32494106
AN - SCOPUS:85079340101
VL - 87
SP - 47
EP - 69
JO - Communication Monographs
JF - Communication Monographs
SN - 0363-7751
IS - 1
ER -