Attitude Change and Information Integration in Fear Appeals

Abstract

A 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment investigated the combinatorial rule individuals use to integrate information about the components of a fear appeal. Individuals were presented information about a hypothetical danger, and their intentions to adopt the recommended coping response were measured. The potential danger was varied on the dimensions of noxiousness, probability of occurrence, and efficacy of the coping response. Each independent variable had a significant main effect. A multiplicative combinatorial rule was rejected. Although individuals do not respond completely rationally when confronting real dangers, individuals respond in a highly logical fashion when contemplating how they would respond to an hypothetical danger.