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Persuasive communication, defined as any message designed to influence people’s attitudes or behaviors, is a core concept in social psychology. It is possible that persuasive communication scholarship would not exist if not for Carl I. Hovland, Irving L. Janis, and Harold H. Kelley’s seminal text Communication and Persuasion, and its theoretical propositions are still being examined today. The approach outlined in that text, which has since informed multiple theories and research programs, suggests a tripartite model, where source, message, and audience features dictate persuasive impact.

OBJECTIVE Determine the temporal and spatial characteristics of stairs versus elevator use in a university residence hall to inform future physical activity promotion efforts. PARTICIPANTS All residents and visitors for a single, four-story residence hall dormitory building located on a college campus in Orange, CA. METHODS Smart mat systems capable of detecting pedestrian traffic were placed in front of the stairs and elevators on each floor plus a basement. Generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) were used to compare stair versus elevator usage at different times of the day and on different floors. RESULTS Stair versus elevator use varied much more throughout the day on floors nearest to the ground floor, with stair use most common in the morning. Overall, the elevator was used more frequently on higher floors, with less variation throughout the day. CONCLUSION To be most effective, future stair promotion interventions should target residents on higher floors and in the morning.

High-controlling (HC) language is explicit, clear, and efficient; however, it can be perceived as threatening, thus risking rejection. The benefits and drawbacks of using HC language presents a dil...

Persuasive appeals that are direct and explicit are easier to understand than appeals that are indirect and implicit (Bessarabova et al. Human Communication Research, 39, 339–364, 2013; Gardner and Leshner Health Communication, 31, 738–751, 2016; Miller et al. Human Communication Research, 33, 219–240, 2007). Unfortunately, as psychological reactance theory (PRT; Brehm 1966) contends, directive messages are often met with resistance due to the likelihood of their threatening a receiver’s perceived freedom and autonomy. In response, reactance researchers have undertaken the task of identifying strategies that attempt to utilize the strengths of directives (e.g., clarity) while mitigating the occurrence of reactance. In this article, we review these strategies and argue for the merits of direct and explicit language applied to pro-social and health related contexts. We conclude by examining strategies that use reactance as a persuasive tactic rather than an outcome to be avoided.

Psychological reactance theory posits that when people are faced with threats to, or elimination of, behavioral freedom, they experience an aversive motivational state (i.e., psychological reactance). Recent research indicates that people’s state of mind affects reactance arousal processes. We hypothesized that being in a state of threatening uncertainty would cause people to experience less psychological reactance to a freedom-threatening communication than those in a state of certainty. We randomly assigned 114 students from a North American University to an uncertainty- or certainty-inducing recall task; they were then exposed to a reactance-arousing message. Compared to participants primed to feel certain, those primed with threatening uncertainty reported significantly less threat and more positive attitudes in response to a freedom threatening communication. Mediation analysis revealed an indirect effect of feelings of threatening uncertainty on people’s behavioral intentions, through perceptions of the controlling message. Results support our hypothesis: people in a state of uncertainty experience less psychological reactance than those in a state of certainty.

Psychological reactance theory (PRT) posits that threats to people’s freedom elicit reactance, an aversive motivational state that triggers freedom restoration. The current chapter utilizes PRT as a vehicle for understanding phenomena related to religious beliefs and behavior. Our focus here is on outlining the ways in which social, political, or environmental threats to people’s religious freedom can arouse reactance and a variety of associated outcomes, including increased religious adherence. In addition, we illustrate the ways in which restrictive faith-based regulations can arouse reactance among adherents, outcomes of which could be heresy (i.e., holding a belief contrary to religious orthodoxy) and apostasy (i.e., renouncing religious affiliation). We also propose that religions can use strategies from communication research to allay reactance and increase message effectiveness. Finally, we suggest future directions for research at the intersection of PRT and religious behavior.

Scholars across multiple domains have identified the presence of inconsistency-arousing information in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertisements and have suggested that these appeals, which highlight differences between people's actual and desired lives, may create psychological disequilibrium. However, experimental assessment of the distinct influence of inconsistency-arousing information in this domain is rare. Guided by goal disruption theory-a framework that outlines people's reactions to goal expectation violations-we created direct-to-consumer advertisements designed to make people's life inconsistencies salient. The influence of these ads on people's perceptions of, and intentions to use, prescription drugs was then assessed. Results from a structural equation modeling analysis supported the proposed model, indicating that compared to a control ad, an ad containing a goal expectation violation manipulation resulted in higher levels of psychological disequilibrium; in turn, psychological disequilibrium led to positive evaluations of the ad and the drug, positive outcome expectations of the drug, increased purposive harm endurance, and increased usage intentions. The current results suggest a psychological pathway that begins with a negative goal expectation violation and ends with increased usage intentions and a greater willingness to endure harm to make use possible.

The present study provides an example of the integrated data analysis technique of creating and interpreting merged profiles. By using this approach to merging data sources, we gained unique insight into goal disruption theory (GDT). Qualitative data suggest that military personnel harbor a wide range of desired end-states. Quantitative data support a component of GDT, suggesting that participants who have a strong need for desired end-state displayed greater purposive harm endurance. Interpretation of merged profiles revealed caveats to this relationship, in particular that not all end-states are equally motivating. Results illustrate the benefits of the integrated data analysis technique of creating and interpreting merged profiles. Utilization of the merged profiles illuminated relationships that would not have been exposed otherwise.

Survey data were collected on a military sample to test two main hypotheses about the impact of face-to-face and computer-mediated social support following disruptive life events. We tested two main hypotheses: first, as previous research indicates, the impact of a disruptive life event is partially dependent upon the amount of social support one receives during the time of the event (H1). Second, the type of communication used will further impact the effectiveness of social support in comforting individuals following a negative life event. Results support both hypotheses, indicating that the buffering role of social support following a disruptive life event is not only dependent upon the amount of social support one receives, but is further affected by the type of communication that participants used to receive support. These findings provide support for the buffering hypothesis' utility in the realm of computer-mediated communication, as well as the application of the cues-filtered-out approach in the mediated social support domain.

Rationale The IIFF Model (Information, Immediate and Complete Registration Mechanism, Focused Engagement, Favorable Activation) offers a checklist of considerations for interventions seeking to influence organ donor registration behavior. One aspect of the model, favorable activation, recommends considering the emotional and motivational state of a potential donor registrant. Given that most donor registrations occur at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), we considered whether emotions experienced while at the DMV could influence registration rates. Objective The current research effort investigated the emotions people experience while visiting the DMV, explored whether these emotions are associated with donor registration intentions, and experimentally assessed whether DMV experiences influence donor registration. Methods Three studies were conducted through Amazon's Mechanical Turk. In Study 1, we randomly assigned participants to either recall a prior DMV experience or to a comparison condition. Emotions associated with the recalled experiences were the dependent variable. Study 2 assessed the correlations between nine different emotions and donor registration intentions. Study 3 randomly assigned participants to recall a prior frustrating DMV experience or to a comparison condition. Intention to register to donate was the dependent variable. Results Study 1 found that recalling a prior DMV experience was associated with more negative and less positive emotions than the comparison condition. Study 2 found that increased levels of negative emotion could be problematic, as negative emotions were associated with decreased donor intentions. Study 3 found that recalling a frustrating DMV experience resulted in significantly lower intentions to register as an organ donor (vs. a control condition). Conclusion Although not all DMV experiences are negative, these data indicated a relationship between the DMV and negative emotions; an association between negative emotions and lower donor registration intentions; and, a causal relationship between negative DMV experiences and decreased registration intentions.

Interventions that increase help-seeking among people with depression have the potential to save lives. Several efforts have been impressively successful; however, research has also chronicled inconsistent results, with some endeavors indicating boomerang effects. The goal of the current analysis is to synthesize select findings from cognitive theorizing on depression with persuasion scholarship to explain how and why the combination of unfavorable attitudes toward help-seeking, attitudes that are increasingly resistant to influence, psychological reactance, and cognitive errors can result in challenging responses to messages encouraging help-seeking among people with depression. In addition, we highlight the importance of utilizing theory-based approaches to circumvent resistance to persuasion and provide an explanation as to why the provision of immediate help-seeking mechanisms could be a key aspect of successful intervention efforts. We also stress the importance of formative research and pilot testing, and warn against the potentially harmful error of assessing messages targeting people with depression on those without heightened levels of depressive symptomatology. Ideally, this effort will draw attention to the challenge of persuading people with depression to seek help and also motivate social psychologists to consider the ways they can use their craft to positively influence the health and well-being of people with depression.