Are Vivid (Vs. Pallid) Threats Persuasive? Examining the Effects of Threat Vividness in Health Communications

ABSTRACT

To encourage the adoption of protective recommendations, health communications often include vivid information depicting the features of relevant threats. Despite a large body of research on threatening communications, little attention has been yet given to threat vividness. Across three experiments, we thus tested whether including a vivid (vs. pallid) threat in a health communication affects the acceptance of recommendations. Results revealed greater responses when people were exposed to a vivid threat, relative to a pallid threat. However, we also demonstrated that such beneficial effects were dependent on threat severity and vulnerability to the threat. Taken together, these findings underscore the importance of distinguishing the effects of the threat from those of its vividness.

Notes

Note that different participants were invited for each study.