Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) Flashcards
Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) → BACKGROUND
- development
originally proposed & developed by Rogers in 1970s
- to explain effects of fear appeals on health attitudes & behaviors
- sought to identify key variables in fear appeals & their cognitive mediational effects
Partially based off of Lazarus & Leventhal’s work on appraisal process in emotion (Appraisal Theory)
Bandura theorized that effective coping defenses prohibit fear arousal
- emotion (fear) & cognition (danger appraisal) interact to cause search for coping behavior
Fear Drive Model
- main assertion
fear acts as a drive that motivates trial & error behavior
fear-evoking message → motivated to reduce unpleasant emotional situation
if message contains reassuring behavioral advice → provides way to reduce threat
- if advised behavior reduces fear → reinforced
- if NOT → maladaptive coping reactions (threat denial, avoidance of fear-evoking msg)
Fear Appeal
- presents? (3)
persuasive message that attempts to arouse fear in order to change behavior through threat of impending danger/harm
- presents a risk, vulnerability & suggested form of action
PMT Model → Description
stimulus variables (sources of information) initiate 2 independant appraisal processes
these perceptions influence protection motivation (behavioral intention), which results in adaptive or maladaptive coping
3 main stimulus variables in a fear appeal
a) magnitude of severity
b) probability of occurence
c) efficacy of advised response
each initiates corresponding cognitive mediational process (perceptions) which influence protection motivation
PMT → Revised
Includes additional:
- stimulus variables → sources of info
- cognitive mediational processes (perceptions)
Revised PMT → Stimulus Variables
- aka?
-
(2) categories
- (4)
aka sources of information
ENVIRONMENTAL
- verbal persuasion
- observational learning
INTRAPERSONAL
- personality variables
- previous experience
Cognitive Mediating Processes
Initiated by stimulus variables (sources of info)
organized into 2 independent appraisal processes
result in adaptive or maladaptive coping
Appraisal Processes
a) Threat Appraisal
b) Coping Appraisal
a) Threat Appraisal
evaluation of maladaptive response
→ focus on source of threat & factors influencing response probability (↑/↓)
b) Coping Appraisal
evaluation of adaptive response
→focus on available coping responses & factors influencing response probability (↑/↓)
Threat Appraisal
- consists of?
factors ↓ probability of maladaptive response:
- perceived severity
- perceived vulnerability
Fear = additional intervening variable between ^ & level of appraised threat
factors ↑ probability of maladaptive response:
- intrinsic rewards
- extrinsic rewards
Coping Appraisal
- consists of?
factors ↑ probability of adaptive response:
- response efficacy
- self-efficacy
factors ↓ probability of adaptive response:
- response costs (barriers)
Response Efficacy
belief that recommended behavior is effective in reducing threat
Coping Modes
Adaptive & Maladaptive Coping
- result of 2 appraisal processes
PMT → Main Assertions/Assumptions
Threat Appraisal & Coping Appraisal result in:
intention to perform adaptive response (Protection Motivation), which mediates protective behavior (coping modes)
(4) Key Constructs
a) Perceived Severity
b) Perceived Vulnerability
c) Perceived Response Efficacy
d) Perceived Self-Efficacy
Maladaptive Responses
responses that place individual at health risk
- includes behaviors or absence of behaviors that lead to negative consequences
Protection Motivation
- is the result of?
- determinant of? Explain.
behavioral intention (to follow advised action)
- result of threat & coping appraisal
-
proximal determinant of protective behavior → arouses, sustains & directs action
- mediating variable between appraisal processes & protective behavior
Protection Motivation
- positive function of?
- negative function of?
positive function of:
- perceptions of severity, vulnerability, response & self-efficacy
negative function of:
- perceptions of intrinsic & extrinic (maladaptive response) rewards & adaptive response costs
For Protection Motivation to be provoked… (2)
perceptions of severity & vulnerability** should outweigh **rewards of maladaptive behavior
perceptions of response & self-efficacy** should outweigh **response costs of adaptive behavior
