HEALTH PROMOTION (METHODS OF PERSUATION) UNIT 1 Flashcards
What is health promotion?
Any campaigm or program that encourages healthy behaviours, or more positive health outcomes
Name 3 methods of that can be used to promote healthy behaviours?
- Persuasive techniques (Hovland-Yale approach)
- Fear arousal
- Providing information
What is the Hovland-Yale approach
A model of persuasion developed by Carl Hovland, explains that there are 4 key factors that influence how receptive individuals are to being persuaded or how their attitudes can be changed 4 key factors:
* the communicator of a message,
* the content of a message,
* the medium of a message
* the characteristics of the audience.
Communicator, content, medium, audience
What is the ‘communicator’ aspect of the Hovland Yale approach?
- Focuses on who is attempting to implement the persuasive message.
- Audiences are more persuaded if they belief the communicator is knowledgable/ credible.
Commuicators such as doctors, health organisations (nhs/who), respected celebs known for healthy living increases percieved credibility of the message.
What is the ‘content of the message’ aspect of the Hovland-Yale approach?
- Focuses on the content of the message.
- It is suggested that presenting a balanced two-sided argument is more likely to persuade undecided audiences, as It builds resistance to later opposing messages.
- McGuire (1964) suggested that two-sided arguments “inoculate” audiences against conflicting views
(e.g., acknowledging the difficulty of changing habits but stressing the long-term benefits)
- McGuire (1964) suggested…
two-sided arguments “inoculate” audiences against conflicting views
What is the ‘medium’ aspect of the Hovland-Yale approach?
- Focuses on the channel on which the message is conveyed.
- Messages can be conveyed face to face, newspapers, TV adverts, emails.
- It is suggested that face-to-face mediums are more effective for tailored messaging, whereas print media may be more effective for complex messaging as they allow for a better focus and retention (Lippa 1994)
Lippa (1994) suggested…
Face-to-face mediums are more effective for tailored messaging, whereas print media may be more effective for complex messaging as they allow for a better focus and retention (Lippa 1994)
What is the ‘audience’ aspect of the Hovland-Yale approach?
- Focuses on the target audiences of the message.
- Yale research indicates that there are certain audience traits like intelligence, self-esteem personality, and gender that influence persuasion.
- Intelligent people may be less persuadable finding flaws and disagreeing with the message, while less intelligent people might agree without full comprehension.
- People with moderate intelligence and self-esteem are generally more persuadable than individuals with very high or low levels of each (Wood & Stagner, 1994).
Wood & Stagner (1994) suggested..
Those with moderate intelligence and self-esteem are generally more persuadable than individuals with very high or low levels of each.
What is the Yerkes-Dodson Law?
- States that ** physiological and mental arousal** improves performance, but only up to a certain point. If arousal becomes too high, performance begins to decline.
- Low arousal = low performance (due to boredom or lack of motivation)
- Moderate arousal = optimal performance.
- High arousal = performance drops (due to stress, anxiety, or overload).
Link between perfomance and arousal
Example: In education, a little stress can help students focus, but too much anxiety can harm exam performance.
What is arousal?
How cognitively alert and focused an individual is in response to a task/situation.
What is fear arousal?
A psychological strategy used to promote positive (health) behaviours by installing fear and anxiety in individuals (showing frightening images or statistics to change their behavior)
How can health campaigns use fear arousal whilst being mindful of the Yerkes-Dodson law?
- They can use moderate level of fear arousal to increase attention/motivation (whilst providing advice on how to reduce the arousal e.g. stop smoking)
