Ruiter

Question 1

Method?

Answer 1

Lab exp. inde measures

Question 2

Participants?

Answer 2

88 female first year undergraduates at a uni in the netherlands. Mean age = 20.

Question 3

Procedure?

Answer 3

Pps completed a questionnaire to assess pre experimental attitude to breast examination.
Had to evaluate effectiveness of educational messages about breast cancer. Read message, then reported on fear arousal.
Then read persuasive messages supported by weak or strong arguments.
Questionaiire then administered to assess post exp attitude towards self examination.

Question 4

How was fear manip operationalised?

Answer 4

Different levels of implied severity of breast cancer and susceptibility.

Argument went from “pleasureable” to “you can detect cancer at an earlier stage”

Question 5

Results?

Answer 5

Manipulated fear not significant.
Main effect from argument strength, suggesting argument based messages are more effective than fear.
Pps who expressed low fear did not differ their attitudes towards breast self examination.

Question 6

Conclusions?

Answer 6

Evoked fear motivates people into more argument based processing. However they accept their findings may only be applicable to breast self examination and not all health detection behaviours.

Question 7

Aim?

Answer 7

To examine the effect of fear arousal on attitude towards participation in early detection activities.