Extending the Explanatory Utility of the EPPM Beyond Fear-Based Persuasion

Ioni M. Lewis · Barry C. Watson · Katherine Marie White

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Behavioral Health and Interventions Risk Perception and Management Media Influence and Health

Abstract

In the 20 years since its inception, the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) has attracted much empirical support. Currently, and unsurprisingly, given that is a model of fear-based persuasion, the EPPM's explanatory utility has been based only upon fear-based messages. However, an argument is put forth herein that draws upon existing evidence that the EPPM may be an efficacious framework for explaining the persuasive process and outcomes of emotion-based messages more broadly when such messages are addressing serious health topics. For the current study, four different types of emotional appeals were purposefully devised and included a fear-, an annoyance/agitation-, a pride-, and a humor-based message. All messages addressed the serious health issue of road safety, and in particular the risky behavior of speeding. Participants (n = 551) were exposed to only one of the four messages and subsequently provided responses within a survey. A series of 2 (threat: low, high) × 2 (efficacy: low, high) analysis of variance was conducted for each of the appeals based on the EPPM's message outcomes of acceptance and rejection. Support was found for the EPPM with a number of main effects of threat and efficacy emerging, reflecting that, irrespective of emotional appeal type, high levels of threat and efficacy enhanced message outcomes via maximizing acceptance and minimizing rejection. Theoretically, the findings provide support for the explanatory utility of the EPPM for emotion-based health messages more broadly. In an applied sense, the findings highlight the value of adopting the EPPM as a framework when devising and evaluating emotion-based health messages for serious health topics.

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References

1986The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion 1975A Protection Motivation Theory of Fear Appeals and Attitude Change1 1992Putting the fear back into fear appeals: The extended parallel process model 2000A Meta-Analysis of Fear Appeals: Implications for Effective Public Health Campaigns 1983Cognitive and physiological processes in fear appeals and attitude change : A revised theory of protection motivation 1983Protection motivation and self-efficacy: A revised theory of fear appeals and attitude change 1994Fear control and danger control: A test of the extended parallel process model (EPPM)2001The Handbook of affect and social cognition

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