How do inoculation messages work? A two-study mixed-method investigation into inoculation mechanisms

ABSTRACT

The central principle of inoculation theory is that when individuals are presented with a weakened form of a persuasive attack against an existing attitude, they become inoculated against future attacks to that attitude. To address a gap in the literature regarding inoculation mechanisms, we used focus groups (Study 1) to allow participants to describe resistance processes following inoculation. Guided by processing pathways that mirror those in established persuasion frameworks, participants described some of the variables that influence, occur during, and result from, their processing of inoculation material. We applied these findings by presenting a separate group of participants (Study 2) with a healthy nutrition inoculation message and studying their processing responses on the basis of variables identified in Study 1 and through related research. Analyses revealed that participants varied in their elaborative processing of the message and that elaboration was positively associated with desirable resistance processes (e.g. post-inoculation planning, talk, and information searching). By advancing our understanding of the ways through which inoculation messages prepare individuals for attitudinal attacks, these findings provide important future research directions and may inform effective inoculation message design.

KEYWORDS:

• Elaboration likelihood model
• fruit
• health
• messaging
• persuasion

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sarah E. Clear

Sarah E. Clear completed her studies in the School of Human Sciences at The University of Western Australia in 2020—under the supervision of James Dimmock, Ben Jackson, and Josh Compton—and is currently in a Project Support Officer role at the West Australian Department of Health.

James A. Dimmock

James A. Dimmock is a Professor of health psychology at James Cook University, and an Adjunct Professor at The University of Western Australia. He is a co-director of the award-winning Psychology of Active, Healthy Living (PAHL) group. PAHL is a cross-institutional health psychology group involving James Cook University and the University of Western Australia. In his role in PAHL, James works with researchers, students, industry, government, the non-profit sector, and the media to improve health outcomes in various populations.

Josh Compton

Josh Compton is Associate Professor in the Institute for Writing and Rhetoric at Dartmouth College. His research explores image at two distinct points: before an image attack (inoculation theory) and after an image attack (image repair theory), with special attention to the contexts of health, sport, and politics. He has been named Distinguished Lecturer by Dartmouth College and has won the Outstanding Professor Award from the National Speakers Association and the L. E. Norton Award for Outstanding Scholarship, among other recognitions.

Ben Jackson

Ben Jackson received his PhD from the University of Leeds in 2008, and has worked at The University of Western Australia since that time. His current role is an Associate Professor in UWA’s School of Human Sciences. Ben and James Dimmock created (2012) and chair the cross-institutional ‘Psychology of Active, Healthy Living’ group (see www.jcu.edu.au/pahl). Research activity and community initiatives within the PAHL group focus on (a) advancing our understanding of health and physical activity, and (b) the development of sustainable and effective health promotion interventions.