temporal context and individuals time orientation: the role of perspective fit in increasing health...
TRANSCRIPT
Temporal context and individuals time Temporal context and individuals time orientation: orientation:
The role of perspective fit in increasing health The role of perspective fit in increasing health communication persuasivenesscommunication persuasiveness
Nicolas Fieulaine & Frédéric MartinezSocial Psychology Research Group
at the University of Lyon
Funding for this study was partially provided by IReSP/INPeS Grant 083/07-DAS.
• In recent studies, time perspective (TP) appeared as one of the most important psychological predictor of a wide variety of health behaviors (Boyd & Zimbardo, 2005; Henson & al.,2006; Crockett & al., 2009; Daugherty, 2010)
• TP corresponds to a general orientation and attitude towards the past, present, or future (Zimbardo and Boyd, 1999); to the tendency to consider future consequences (Strathman & al., 1994)
• Most health protective behaviors are temporal dilemmas as they require the individual to endure costs in the short- term in order to obtain benefits in the long term (Hall & Fong, 2007)
• To focus on the here-and-now at the expense of long-term considerations is related to one’s motivation to perform health protective behaviors (Chapman, 2005).
• Future time orientation was related to greater health and preventive behaviors, whereas present time orientation was related to more risky and lesser preventive behaviors
• There is a relation between socioeconomic position and time perspective, so TP may represent a pathway through which social inequalities in health occur (Singh-Manoux & Marmot, 2005; Fieulaine & al., 2006; Adams & White, 2009)
What is the stake for What is the stake for health communication ?health communication ?
• More often, health communications are developed without taking into account their temporal frame
• Typical argument for promoting healthy behaviors is « It is difficult on the moment, but highly beneficial in the future »
• It is true, but this temporal frame may render messages inefficient for - and sometimes rejected by - people who are more sensitive to short term consequences and not to long-term ones
• Present-focused people are the most at risk of unhealthy behaviors and the less convinced by health communication campaigns (Fieulaine & Martinez, 2010)
• Deprived people are more susceptible to be stuck in the present, so health communication can be not only ineffective, but may also contribute to maintain or reinforce social inequalities in health
Time perspective and persuasionTime perspective and persuasion
• Messages promoting health behaviors (detection or preventive) are more persuasive when matched with dispositional characteristics of the target audience.
• This is explained by the concept of « Fit » (Higgins, 2000): when information’s and individual’s perspectives are congruent, that leads to a sense of “feeling right”
• When « fit » occurs, information is processed more easily and is more likely to be experienced as fluent. This elicits positive affects that are associated with feelings of self-efficacy and social identification (for a review: Lee & Higgins, 2009)
• Studies on temporal framing showed that people who weigh short-term outcomes more heavily are more persuaded if the positive outcomes of the promoted behavior are presented as occurring immediately, whereas future-oriented individuals are more persuaded by long term positive outcomes (Orbell & Hagger, 2006; Orbell & Kyriakaki, 2008)
• Matching message’s and individual’s time orientations is a way to increase persuasion and the effectiveness of communications
Research questionsResearch questions• How to deal with the differential impact of health communications in relation
to individuals time orientation ?
• There is actually two ways:o Enhance long-term thinking by individual or group training (Hall & Fong, 2003)o To build messages that emphasize short-term benefits (Kees, 2011)
• The first is costly and irrelevant for mass-media campaigns
• It is sometimes difficult to find some (believable) short-term benefits
• It is important to emphasize long-term consequences to promote health behaviors and future-oriented mindset
• How to make a future-oriented message persuasive for present-oriented people ?
• Can we put the message in a temporal context that improve its persuasive impact ?
• Can we go beyond the mismatch between message content and individuals dispositions by establishing a match between context and dispositions ?
Aims of the studyAims of the study
• To test the impact of an induced temporal context on the persuasive impact of a health-promotion message
• By using a real message and conditions
• To test whether a fit between situation and message can go beyond the unfit between dispositional time orientation and the message
• Then, present-oriented people could be more influenced by a future oriented message when presented in a present-oriented context.
ProcedureProcedure• Experimental study design• Four steps:
o Measure of individuals time orientation (CFC scale)• “I often consider how things might be in the future and try to
influence those things with my day to day behavior,” (1 extremely characteristic to 5 extremely uncharacteristic)
• Presented as unrelated to the second studyo Induction of a temporal context
• By presenting the study timelines and objectives as short-term or long-term focused
o Presentation of the message (future-oriented )• By an assistant introduced as a health educator• Participants were encouraged to listen cautiously the message in
order to give their evaluationo Measures of message reception
• Overall impression of the message (pleasant, easy to understand, disturbing…)
• Willingness to perform the promoted behavior (seeking information on cannabis)
• On 1 to 7 scales (not at all to extremely)• Recall of risks evoked
InductionInduction
• "Thank you for agreeing to participate in our research on young people's health, which will last a few days (vs. a few years). Its objective is to meet soon now (vs. in the future) the challenges posed by health in the present (vs. future). It is essential that researchers work hard to provide immediate (vs. durable) solutions to problems that raise questions for today (vs. for years to come). This is why your participation is so important, to contribute to the immediate (vs. future) evolutions our results will allow for. Research is really for the present (vs. future). Your participation take place in this short (vs. Long) term. "
The chosen campaignThe chosen campaign
• A campaign on cannabis use• Promoting information seeking on risks related to cannabis use
• High prevalence of cannabis use in France (Lifetime 30,6%)• Students are target population (Lifetime 33%)• It was repeatedly evidenced that TP is related to cannabis use
(Apostolidis & al, 2006; Fieulaine & Martinez, 2011)
• A future-focused message (long term risks and benefits)o Describe cannabiso Details the risks of regular consumptiono Promote information seeking for self and others
• Oral presentation in small groups using a slideshow
Sample, checks, analyseSample, checks, analyse
• Sample : 155 students from UoL (37 men et 118 women, 18 to 30 years old, Mage = 20,36)o Three groups composed of low- and high-CFC subjects (median split)
• Without induction (N=52)• Present-oriented induction (N=51)• Future-oriented induction (N=52)
• Randomized sampling : o No significant differences between groups for CFC and substance use
• Manipulation:o Study was considered as more important for the immediate present in the present
induction condition, and more important for the future in the future induction condition
• In control condition, high CFC subjects report more positive attitudes towards the message and greater intention to perform the promoted behavior than low CFC subjects
• We conducted 2 (induction: present of future) X 2 (CFC: high or low) ANOVAs
ResultsResults
Intention of information Intention of information
seekingseeking
(F (1,96) = 9.88, p <.01)
Recalled risksRecalled risks
F(1,97)=6,51; p=.01
Deserve diffusionDeserve diffusion
F(1,97)=7,04; p<.009
Willingness to diffuseWillingness to diffuse
F(1,96)=6,84; p=.01
« Easy to understand »« Easy to understand »
F(1, 97)=4,24; p<.05
« Feeling « Feeling
involved/concerned »involved/concerned »
F(1,96)=4,53; p=.03
A replication studyA replication study• Aims:
o To replicate these results in another sampleo To test the impact of induced context using a present-oriented
messageo To explore potential mediators of the contextual effect
• Same procedure• Adding conditions with present-focused message• Larger samples (N=376; >= 60 per condition)• Measures of self-esteem, feeling of inclusion, and fear
• No effect appeared with the present-oriented message, largely rejected (negative evaluations, negative feelings, disturbing)
Replicated effects…Replicated effects…
With the future-oriented message:
•Intention to share with others (F=3,25; p=.04)•Number of risks recalled (F=3,20; p=.04)•Deserve diffusion (F=4,14; p=.01)•Easy to believe (F=4,32; p=.01)•Easy to understand (F=3,63; p=.02)•Feeling concerned (F (1, 127)=2,79; p<.10•Feelings of being involved in the situation (F=7,18; p=.001)
DiscussionDiscussion
• Temporal context established prior to the diffusion of a future-oriented message have an impact on individuals sensitivity
• A present oriented context improve sensitivity of present-oriented individuals, but decrease sensibility of future oriented individuals
• Suggest a « fit » effect (Lee & Higgins, 2009), rather than a induction of a time orientation (Cheng & al. 2011)
• Some findings suggest that induction have an effect on feelings of social inclusion
• A present oriented message is less well evaluated than a future oriented one
• Results are only partially replicated• Behavioral measures are missing
• Future lab and field studies are needed
