Responding to framed health messages: Different strokes for different (handedness) folks

Abstract

Research has shown that strength of handedness – a proxy variable for the degree of interaction between the left and right brain hemispheres – predicts differences in a variety of cognitive domains. The present paper extends this work to message (or goal) framing effects in which persuasive health communications emphasise positive vs. negative outcomes. One hundred fifty-six participants read pamphlets containing statements emphasising either the gains of using or the losses of not using sunscreen. Replicating previous research, non-users of sunscreen were more affected by framed messages than users. However, we found a loss- rather than gain-framed advantage, and mixed (inconsistent)-handers seemed to drive these effects more so than strong (consistent)-handers. These results suggest that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach may be inadequate in crafting effective educational messages about health behaviours, and that theories centring around one’s regulatory focus orientation as well as new methods in laterality research may be useful in reaching the widest range of individuals.

Keywords:

• framing effects
• health behaviour
• individual differences
• handedness
• neuroscience
• persuasive communication
• decision making

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank Shelly Leininger for her research assistance. This research was supported by grants awarded to the first and third authors from the National Science Foundation (SES #0318239 & SES #0620094). Parts of this paper were presented at the annual meetings of the Psychonomic Society, Kansas City, MO, November 2002, and the Society for Judgment & Decision Making, Houston, TX, November 2006.