Testing the effects of certain versus hypothetical language in health risk messages

Sherri Jean Katz; Sahara Byrne; Alan D. Mathios; Rosemary J. Avery; Michael C. Dorf; Amelia Greiner Safi; Jeff Niederdeppe

doi:10.1080/03637751.2019.1640889

Testing the effects of certain versus hypothetical language in health risk messages

Sherri Jean Katz, Sahara Byrne, Alan D. Mathios, Rosemary J. Avery, Michael C. Dorf, Amelia Greiner Safi, Jeff Niederdeppe

Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper tests how the certainty or hypotheticality conveyed through language can be harnessed to enhance the effectiveness of targeted messaging about health risks. We conducted two experiments with adult smokers ( n = 317) and middle school youth ( n = 321) from low-income communities in the context of pictorial cigarette warning labels. We manipulated hypotheticality of risk through verb modality: 1. non-modal (present tense, e.g., smoking causes cancer), and modal/hypothetical (2. may, 3. can, and 4. will). For adult smokers, definitive (present tense) wording led to greater health risk beliefs, compared to hypothetical wording, among adult males but not females. For youth, contrary to what might seem intuitive, the more hypothetical may verb modality was more effective than the present tense language in promoting health risk beliefs. Among youth, greater health risk beliefs were also associated with reduced susceptibility to use cigarettes. No differences in negative affect by hypotheticality of language were found for either population. We discuss these findings in relation to the theoretical implications for the concept of hypotheticality and the application of construal level theory to strategic health communication.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	47-69
Number of pages	23
Journal	Communication Monographs
Volume	87
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2019.1640889
State	Published - Jan 2 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) (grant number R01-HD079612). The funders played no role in the study design; collection, analysis and interpretation of data; the writing of the manuscript; or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the Food and Drug Administration.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, © 2019 National Communication Association.

Keywords

Construal level theory
health risks
hypothetical language
tobacco
warning labels

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1080/03637751.2019.1640889

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abstract = "This paper tests how the certainty or hypotheticality conveyed through language can be harnessed to enhance the effectiveness of targeted messaging about health risks. We conducted two experiments with adult smokers ( n = 317) and middle school youth ( n = 321) from low-income communities in the context of pictorial cigarette warning labels. We manipulated hypotheticality of risk through verb modality: 1. non-modal (present tense, e.g., smoking causes cancer), and modal/hypothetical (2. may, 3. can, and 4. will). For adult smokers, definitive (present tense) wording led to greater health risk beliefs, compared to hypothetical wording, among adult males but not females. For youth, contrary to what might seem intuitive, the more hypothetical may verb modality was more effective than the present tense language in promoting health risk beliefs. Among youth, greater health risk beliefs were also associated with reduced susceptibility to use cigarettes. No differences in negative affect by hypotheticality of language were found for either population. We discuss these findings in relation to the theoretical implications for the concept of hypotheticality and the application of construal level theory to strategic health communication. ",

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N2 - This paper tests how the certainty or hypotheticality conveyed through language can be harnessed to enhance the effectiveness of targeted messaging about health risks. We conducted two experiments with adult smokers ( n = 317) and middle school youth ( n = 321) from low-income communities in the context of pictorial cigarette warning labels. We manipulated hypotheticality of risk through verb modality: 1. non-modal (present tense, e.g., smoking causes cancer), and modal/hypothetical (2. may, 3. can, and 4. will). For adult smokers, definitive (present tense) wording led to greater health risk beliefs, compared to hypothetical wording, among adult males but not females. For youth, contrary to what might seem intuitive, the more hypothetical may verb modality was more effective than the present tense language in promoting health risk beliefs. Among youth, greater health risk beliefs were also associated with reduced susceptibility to use cigarettes. No differences in negative affect by hypotheticality of language were found for either population. We discuss these findings in relation to the theoretical implications for the concept of hypotheticality and the application of construal level theory to strategic health communication.

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Testing the effects of certain versus hypothetical language in health risk messages

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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