Individual Differences in Mediators and Reactions to a Personal Safety Threat Message

Abstract

Individual differences in processing information about a personal threat message about bisphenol A (BPA) risk were examined using the threat orientation model (Thompson & Schlehofer, 2008). Adults (N = 448) read a risk message concerning BPA in plastics. Threat orientations, intentions to protect oneself from BPA risk, and emotional and cognitive reactions to the message were measured. Individuals with different approaches to threat reached different conclusions about the message and used different information in that process. These findings suggest that consideration of individual differences could improve the predictive ability of existing theoretical models and the effectiveness of health and safety messages.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported by a grant to the second author from the National Science Foundation (#0620602).

Notes

¹These orientations are moderately intercorrelated, as they either share similarities (e.g., the control and heightened sensitivity responses share a tendency to take protective measures) or have oppositional responses (e.g., the heightened sensitivity and optimistic denial responses are correlated with high or low risk perceptions, respectively).

²The availability of effective protection is also an important factor for those high in the control-based orientation. For the case of BPA, there are effective ways of protecting oneself, so this is not an issue.

³In four conditions, participants received one or two additional sentences, embedded in the message, to determine whether the additional material reduced message denial. These denial-reduction additions were unsuccessful: Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral reactions to these messages were not significantly different from reactions to the basic message. An additional condition, which entailed a message designed to arouse fear, was effective at manipulating reactions; findings from this condition are available in Thompson, Schlehofer, et al. (2011). Participants who received the fear-arousing message are not included in the analysis reported in this article.

⁴This variable was also scored by assigning an 8 (the highest point on the scale) to those items for which the participant was using protection. The results with this new intention variable did not noticeably change the pattern of correlations, and thus were not reported.

Note. All items measured on a 7-point Likert scale. Higher values indicate greater presence of the construct.

*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.