Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
12.1.5
One-Sided vs. Two-Sided Arguments
Should a message be one-sided, or, even when making a specifi c claim, should a
message contain arguments to the contrary? Would such a two-sided approach be more
persuasive, or would it dilute the effectiveness of the message? Rucker et al. (
2008
)
suggest that two-sided messages are more persuasive than one-sided ones. Their account
is based on attitude certainty. Rucker et al. (
2008
) propose that consumers value not only
the content of their attitudes but also how they came to form them, so that if attitudes
were formed using deliberation and weighing of evidence, rather than mere adoption of
a message, consumers would have greater confi dence in them. In other words, under-
standing how you came to have an attitude is a moderator of your certainty in it. Rucker
et al. (
2008
) hypothesized further that making the presence of a two-sided frame salient
to consumers (i.e., understanding the pros and cons and awareness that both were con-
sidered by others) may lead them to believe that their attitudes are based on greater
knowledge and increase certainty. This is especially the case if the negatives are present
but appear inconsequential as consumers may assume that there must be few remaining
unknown negative attributes and can be confi dent in their positive evaluation of the mes-
sage position. On the other hand if negatives are absent, consumers may feel they are
missing information and will therefore be less certain of the attitude formed. The authors
substantiated this premise in a series of experiments, showing that two-sided messages
resulted in greater attitude certainty, although the effect was mitigated by knowledge,
such that attitude certainty was increased by negative information only in participants of
low self-reported knowledge. This fi nding is consistent with the idea introduced above
that experience with a product may render consumers more immune to warning mes-
sages. Finally, Rucker et al. (
2008
) linked two-sided messages with behavior (Experiment
5), showing that individuals receiving the two-sided frame reported a greater willingness
to purchase the product than those receiving the one-sided frame. Attitudes were also
more predictive of behavioral intentions following a two-sided frame. As this study was
run in the context of products associated with predominantly positive information, fur-
ther research is needed to evaluate whether two-sided messages would also facilitate
behavior and increase attitude certainty when the information on the product or service
is mainly negative.
The messages conveyed by Sample Warnings A, C, and D are one-sided.
However, Sample Warning B alludes to the positive consequences of non-adherence
by referring to the “buzz” and playing on the phrase “takes your breath away” typi-
cally associated with a positive experience.
12.1.6
Achieving Regulatory Fit: Preventive
or Promotional Focus
Described by researchers as a “loss” or “gain” frame, most health messages may be
phrased as preventive and cautionary (e.g., “unless you eat carrots, you may lose your
eyesight”) or prophylactic and promotional (e.g., “eat carrots to preserve good eyesight”).
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