Effect of fear appeals on behavioral intention in coping with threats to health/safety

本研究旨在阐明恐惧诉求对应对健康/安全威胁的行为意向的影响。研究一考察了恐惧诉求对先例反说服的反驳效应。高恐惧诉求和低恐惧诉求在没有反劝说的情况下表现出同等显著的效果，但只有高恐惧诉求在反劝说之前才产生显著的效果。在研究2中，我们考察了恐惧诉求对随后的反说服的抵制效应。高恐惧诉求比低恐惧诉求对随后的反说服表现出更大的抵抗，并且抵抗效应的大小因构成反说服的论点类型而异。研究三以保护动机理论为框架，考察了恐惧诉求说服效果的决定因素。恐惧诉求加强了七个认知变量(由该理论提供)与预防艾滋病毒的行为意图或对PWA的态度之间的关系。在研究4中，比较了恐惧诉求的四种模型。知觉威胁控制模型比其他三个模型更好地预测了恐惧诉求的效果。在研究5中，我们考察了针对威胁接受者或其家人(威胁目标)的恐惧诉求的说服力。恐惧诉求在家庭条件下比在接受者条件下更有效。研究6考察了在恐惧诉求说服前后，预警对行为意图改变的影响。预警在高恐惧诉求呈现前促进了行为意图的改变，而在高恐惧诉求呈现后抑制了行为意图的变化，而预警对高恐惧诉求呈现前和呈现后的行为意图变化没有影响。

This study was designed to clarify the effect of fear appeals on behavioral intention in coping with threats to health/safely. In study 1, the refutation effect of fear appeals on precedent counterpersuasion was examined. High and low fear appeals showed equivalent and significant effect when counterpersuasion had not preceded them, but only the high fear appeal produced significant effect when counterpersuasion had preceded. In study 2, the resisting effect of fear appeals on subsequent counterpersuasion was examined. High fear appeal showed greater resistance to subsequent counterpersuasion than low fear appeal, and amount of the resisting effect changed according to the type of arguments that composed counterpersuasion. In study 3, factors determining on the persuasion impact of fear appeal was examined by using the framework of the protection motivation theory. Fear appeal strengthened the relationship between the seven cognitive variables (offered by the theory) and behavioral intentions to prevent HIV or attitudes toward PWA. In study 4, a comparison of four models on fear appeals was conducted. The perceived threat control model predicted the effects of fear appeals better than the other three models. In study 5, the persuasive effect of fear appeals that aimed at the receiver or his/her family as the threat sufferer (threat-target) was examined. Fear appeals were more effective in the family condition than in the receiver condition. In study 6, the effect of forewarnings on behavioral intention change, before and after fear appeal persuasion, was examined. Forewarnings facilitated the behavioral intention change before the presentation of high fear appeal but inhibited the change after its presentation, whereas forewarnings did not influence the change either before or after the presentation of tow fear appeal.