The effect of pictorial content on attention levels and alcohol‐related beliefs: An eye‐tracking study

Abstract

Abstract To examine attention levels to different types of alcohol warning labels. Twenty‐two participants viewed neutral or graphic warning messages while dwell times for text and image components of messages were assessed. Pre and postexposure outcome expectancies were assessed in order to compute change scores. Dwell times were significantly higher for the image, as opposed to the text, components of warnings, irrespective of image type. Participants whose expectancies increased after exposure to the warnings spent longer looking at the image than did those whose positive expectancies remained static or decreased. Images in alcohol warnings appear beneficial for drawing attention, although findings may suggest that this is also associated with heightened positive alcohol‐related beliefs. Implications for health intervention are discussed and future research in this area is recommended.